38 Toe The Line
by ARtheBard
Summary: The team heads to Boise to track down an unsub killing women the same time each month and keeping a toe as a trophy. But what happens when the unsub sets his sights on the "happy couple" he sees through his camera lens? And when Reid confronts the unsub will he pay with his life?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Howdy! I am back and better. And you should be thankful I don't post as I write or this story would have been more confusing than trying to watch the last episode of "Lost" and trying to figure out what the series was about. Lol**

**I also want to say that I absolutely love the fact that you all enjoyed the "Sergio/Alaska" chapter of the last story. I took a gamble on something that amused me but was worried it wouldn't go over to swell. Glad you liked that bit of whimsy in my crazy little AU. **

**Hope you enjoy this next story. Happy Holidays!**  
**-AR**

* * *

With a deep breath, Emily turns off the frame and sets it back in its place. She shoves a few files into her briefcase and grabs her go bag. She looks at JJ.

"Let's go."

JJ gives her wife a supportive smile and follows her to the elevator. When they get in, Emily lets out a sigh.

"You know, I warned her she would be my kryptonite."

JJ smiles and takes her wife's hand. "You'll survive, Supergirl. I know you will."

Emily smiles. "I know. I didn't think it would be this hard. I mean, I had two years with Henry to get ready for this. I've lost my freaking mind."

"Em, you gave birth to her. It's different. And there's nothing wrong with that." She turns Emily and stares into her eyes. "It doesn't mean you love Henry less."

Emily's shoulders slump. "I feel like an ass."

JJ smiles. "He loves you and you adore him. You always have. But it's different with Rocky because you gave birth to her. I completely understand. It hurts to me leave her but it's not the crippling pain I had when I left Henry. That whole 'apron string' thing I guess. It's your turn for the crippling pain and my turn to help hold you up."

Emily smiles. "Yeah, maybe. Thanks, Jennifer."

"Anytime, Emily."

On the way to the airstrip, Emily calls Francesca.

"Emily, let me guess…a case?"

Emily sighs. "Yep. Boise, Idaho and looks like it will be several days due to the amount of information we have to sort through before even looking for a suspect."

"Okay, cara. I will let the children know their mommies are off to get the bad guys again. All will be good here while you are gone, cara. I promise."

Emily smiles. "My head knows. Will take my heart a couple days to believe it."

Francesca chuckles sympathetically. "You will believe it, cara. With Jennifer's help and the support of your teammates you will believe it. And when you get home your son and daughter will love you still. And they will be proud because their Mama made the world safe for them. You will see, Emily."

Emily wipes the tear that leaks down her cheek. "Grazie, Francesca. Ti amo."

"I love you, too, Emily. You and Jennifer be safe."

"We will be. We'll call you all tonight."

"Okay. Goodbye, cara."

"Bye, Francesca."

JJ glances at her wife. "All good on the home front?"

Emily nods. "Perfect. It's just me that's a mess."

JJ chuckles and pats her wife's leg. "It will be okay. Throw yourself into the case. It helps. Trust me."

Emily nods. "I do trust you, Jen. I'll be fine. Soon." She grins at her wife. "Or I'll be on the first flight out of Boise this evening."

JJ laughs. "I have faith in you, Em. You'll tough this out. I love you."

"Love you, too, sweetheart. Thank you."

"Anytime, baby."


	2. Chapter 2

Once the jet is in the air, the team starts to read over all the information that had been gathered so far. Emily frowns.

"Reid, why toes?"

Reid quirks his mouth to the side as he contemplates his answer. "Throughout history tribes and warriors have taken physical trophies from their enemies as way to prove their superiority and strength. Celtic warriors would take heads. Certain Native American tribes took the scalps of their enemies. Ancient Romans would leave the crucified bodies of their enemies lining roadways to warn their enemies what awaited them and to keep the locals in line."

JJ nods. "Okay. So then who took toes?"

Reid shrugs. "I have no idea."

Morgan chuckles. "Pretty Boy, wouldn't it have just been easier to admit that from the start?"

Reid shrugs, grinning. "Easier but not nearly as informative."

Emily throws a balled up piece of paper at him as they all chuckle. JJ pats her wife's leg, glad to see her settling into rhythm with the team. Hotch gets up and joins them.

"When we get to Boise, Reid you'll go with me to the police station to start a geographic profile. Morgan, Prentiss, I want you to visit the abduction sites. We need to know why those were the perfect hunting grounds for our unsub. JJ, Rossi, visit the M.E. and get his thoughts on the deaths, things that might not have made his official report and go to the dump site. Figure out why he goes back there each time."

"Are the police staking out the location at all?" JJ asks.

"Yes but they'll be alerted that you two will be on the way. Once we've gotten our initial impressions of the sites we'll start to look into what the police have come up with. If the unsub sticks to schedule a woman disappears on Saturday and will be found on Monday."

"The bodies are ridiculously clean," Rossi notes, scanning the abbreviated autopsy findings. "But there's no report of cleaning chemical traces found on them. If he keeps them for 2 days they should show some signs of body odor or excess oils or sweat."

"Maybe he just washes them with water," Emily suggests. "Just enough to clean them up before dumping them."

"Maybe," he agrees, something still bothering him. "But…it's just…I don't know."

"Could be a forensic countermeasure," Morgan states. "No clue to where they were or who had them. Not even a cat hair to trace back to him."

Emily tilts her head at that statement. "Wait a minute, I see what you're getting at, Rossi. How does he get them that clean and then transport them, still leaving nothing behind to find? They are too clean. Not a thing was found on them that couldn't be found at the scene."

"And with an open wound like missing toe there should have been blood to pick up all sorts of trace evidence," JJ says, flipping through the pages on her tablet to get to the descriptions of the feet. "But according to this that wound was as clean as the rest of the body. Even if they were wrapped in a tarp or something one of the 11 feet should have picked up something."

"Unless the unsub cleaned the body once more at the dump site," Reid points out. "Then he would have been sure that he had left nothing behind."

"It's too…controlled," Emily states. "Eleven bodies with the only differences being which toe as taken. And the kidnappings and murder are happening like clockwork. This guy is scarily in charge of his urge to kill."

"He's on a mission of some sort?" Rossi guesses.

Reid is looking at his paper files and frowns. "And he's testing them. The toe he takes is his way of saying whether they passed or not."

Morgan slowly nods. "Sounds right. The women aren't badly malnourished, not dehydrated, not raped. What the hell is he doing to them and how is he controlling them while he has them. You could almost believe these women died as soon as he took them but they didn't. He had them for 2 days. What the hell did he do during that time?"

Hotch stands. "We'll be on the ground in 2 hours. Let's see if we can answer all these questions before Saturday."

The team nods, each turning into themselves to try to ponder the unsub they are tracking. Emily finally stands, needing a drink and to clear her head. She goes back to get a cup of coffee. She smiles.

"Ahh…caffeine, my old friend. So glad we're getting reacquainted."

"Do you always talk to your coffee?" Morgan asks, chuckling.

"Morgan, I've gone over a year without real coffee. So, yes, for the next few months I will talk to it, praise it, and maybe even buy it something pretty."

Morgan laughs. "Guess I can understand that. But, uh, between you and Jayje will there be enough for the rest of us?"

She pats him on the shoulder. "Depends on how fast you move when the urge strikes us. Of course, I _do _remember the rule. Do you?"

"If there's only one cup left, it's JJ's," he says with a grin.

Emily chuckles and nods. "Very good. And since it looks like she's coming this way you better serve yourself quickly."

Morgan laughs as Emily heads back to her seat. As he finishes doctoring his coffee he looks at JJ.

"She seems okay," he says about Emily.

JJ smiles and nods. "Shaky but getting to work will help her keep her mind off her heart and help settle her more. Morgan, she'll be fine. You don't have to worry about her in the field."

"I'm not worried about her doing the job. I trust her completely. I just worry about how she's taking leaving Rocky." He smiles kindly. "I seem to remember an old media liaison we had who struggled a bit when she left her son the first couple of times. Did a hell of a job but it still hurt us to see her pain."

JJ smiles and pats his arm. "You all were great. I don't think I ever thanked you enough for your support during that time. And it took hiring Francesca, giving Henry stability, to really get over it. Hopefully with our support system already in place Emily will get better sooner."

"However long it takes it's no problem to me. I've got her back, Jayje. Promise."

"I know, Morgan. Thank you."

The two make their way back to their seats. Emily glances at her wife and best friend.

"So, did you all decide I'm suicidal or that I'd be okay?"

Morgan laughs. "Who says we were talking about you, Princess?"

Emily chuckles and raises an eyebrow. "Thank you both."

He nods and raises his coffee cup to her, glad to have his partner back on the road with the team.

* * *

Morgan and Emily slowly turn, scanning the area around the third abduction site. Just like the last one it had seemed too open to allow for such a flawless abduction.

"How the hell does he do it? Middle of the day, there are people around, and yet he takes a woman with no one even suspecting," Emily says in frustration. "Can he be so subtle as to be invisible or so suave as to just convince these women to go with him?"

"I don't know. We need to know more about these women. They were all single." He looks at Emily. "What if it was a date?"

Emily nods. "Could be. They were reported missing by their families and these are the last known places they were seen. Was someone with them? Or were they meeting someone." She pulls out her cell phone and calls Garcia. "Pen, we need your help."

"Of course you do, mortal. Speak and be dazzled."

Emily chuckles. "Can you run a check on the women to see if any of them were using dating services or had calls to the same number or even to a disposable phone in the days leading up to their disappearance?"

"I can and will. Will take a little time."

"Time? For you? Are you losing your touch, oh goddess of ours?"

Garcia chuckles. "Bite your tongue, woman. Get you back in five."

"I'll count the seconds." Emily puts her phone away and looks at Morgan. "So, ready to go to site 4?"

He nods and they go back to their SUV. As they get in, Morgan reaches over and takes her hand.

"Emily, I'm really happy to have you back in the field. I've missed you."

Emily smiles and squeezes his hand. "I've missed being out here with you, too. It hurts to be away from Rocky but at the same time it feels right to be here."

"I'm glad. It wouldn't be the same without you."

Feeling their partnership slip back into the comfort zone, the two make their way to the next site on their list.

* * *

JJ shakes her head. "It's a display area. A natural pedestal."

Rossi nods in agreement. "You're right. Someone has to see her, see what he's done."

JJ notices a building across the way. "Or he has to see what he's done."

Rossi follows her line of site. "Good point. We need to see what that building is and see who would be on the top two floors. They'd have the best vantage point."

"I know we shouldn't get hung up on one aspect of a case but the toes are really bugging me."

Rossi chuckles. "Me, too, kid. He doesn't alternate which one is taken. With no pattern of abuse or bruising on the body to tell us if it was some sort of punishment or trophy it's just baffling."

JJ looks at him. "Have you ever seen this many bodies so…so pristine, for lack of a better word?"

He slowly shakes his head. "No. I've seen cleaned up bodies but they usually showed signs of abuse: bruises, cuts, broken bones, etc. These women…it's like…like he just wanted to kill them."

JJ's brows furrow in thought. "Maybe…maybe that's it. Maybe the women went willingly. They had a good time but when that time is over he kills them. Then they can never have a bad time together."

"And depending on how good or bad their time together is he takes a particular toe." Rossi nods. "It's just so twisted it could be an angle to look at." He pulls out his phone and calls Garcia. "Garcia, can you check to see if these women were dating anyone prior to- - you what?" He starts to laugh. "Actually it was JJ's idea so I guess it's true that you mind meld with your spouse after a while." He listens a second. "Garcia, I've been divorced 3 times. My exes would probably tell you I'd have to have a mind to meld with in the first place."

He hangs up to her laughter. JJ grins at him.

"So Emily called in our search already?"

"Yep. Damn show off."

"That was my thought exactly. So, let's go check out that building and- -"

"FREEZE! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"

Rossi and JJ spin and see a young police officer with a gun trained on them. The agents raise their hands. Wrong move as the cop sees the guns on their belts as their coats ride up.

"DON'T MOVE!" he screams, his eyes filled with panic.

"Officer, I'm Agent Rossi with the FBI. This is Agent Jareau."

"SHUT UP! THIS AREA IS OFF LIMITS!" He brings a shaking hand to the mike on his shoulder. "This is Officer Dwight. I have two armed suspects who have broken the perimeter of the crime scene. I need back-up."

"Copy. Back up in route," comes the reply.

JJ and Rossi exchange a frustrated look. JJ decides to speak to the officer, who now seems a little calmer since he knows back-up is on the way.

"Officer Dwight, would it be okay if I reached in my back pocket for my credentials. We're with the FBI team your chief called for help."

"Lady, shut the hell up! This area is cordoned off and you broke into it. For all I know he's going to kill you and dump you here, too."

JJ bites back a laugh. "Uh, so then if he wants to kill me why would I be asking you to let me show you my credentials? If he wanted to kill me I'd be begging you to save me."

The officer frowns as he considers this bit of information. "But…but you're not supposed to be here."

"Your chief was supposed to call you and let you know we were coming to see the scene. If you call back and ask about that someone should be able to clear things up."

His eyes narrow. "Someone will be here soon to clear things up. We'll just wait for them."

JJ sighs. Well…she'd tried.

Ten minutes later they hear a voice bellow. "DWIGHT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

Dwight turns around and stares at the approaching man. "They broke into the cordoned area and- -"

"You're damn right they did! They are the FBI agents here to help us turn this hell into a memory."

"They…they are?"

The newcomer looks at JJ and Rossi. "Didn't you all show him your credentials?"

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "We tried on a couple of occasions but Barney Fife there was too eager to shoot us if we moved. So, can we put our hands down or what?"

The new officer nods. "Yes, of course, Agent Rossi." He turns on Dwight. "You're on suspension. Get your ass home I'll deal with you later."

"But, sir, I- -"

"GO!"

"Yes, sir." Dwight quickly holsters his firearm and leaves.

The other officer turns. "Hi, I'm Cliff Hale, a detective with the Boise PD. I am really sorry about Dwight. He's not a rookie anymore but he's not exactly getting the job. I personally sent out word that you two would have all access to this scene. I wish I could tell you why he didn't get that message."

Rossi smiles. "He's scared. Nothing good can come out of the fear he is experiencing. You might want to consider that before he does shoot someone."

Hale nods. "I'll definitely bring up to his supervisor. So, I know you wanted to see some things on your own. I was actually just coming out here to see if I could figure out what I'm missing. I guess you know what it's like to feel helpless." The agents both nods. "I know a woman goes missing on Saturday and dies on Monday if we don't stop this damn bastard."

"Hopefully we can make sure that doesn't happen," JJ says. She points to the building she and Rossi wanted to look at. "Any idea what that building there is?"

Hale looks in that direction. "Bottom is a clothing store. Upper floors are random offices. Top floor is 2 apartments." He grins at them. "I saw that someone there would see this place."

JJ nods. "Great minds think alike. Do you happen to have a list of tenants?"

"Sure. It's in evidence box 6B at the station."

"We'll need that for our technical analyst." She glances at Rossi who nods. "Well, we're going to go check out that building and then go see the ME. Hopefully we can help you stop this man before he adds to his kill totals."

Hale nods as Rossi and JJ leave to continue on their search for evidence.

* * *

Reid stares at the map on the wall. The abductions sites are all places where couples could go to spend time together without a lot of noise and distractions. Perfect getting-to-know you spots without pressure to push the relationship to the next level of intimacy.

"Hotch, do we know if these women were on dates around the time they disappeared?"

Hotch had been reading initial missing person reports and rescans the one in his hand. He frowns. "This one, yes." He picks up the first 4 he'd gotten through and slowly nods. "On these 5 their friends and family state they were dating someone. Each boyfriend was interviewed and cleared as a person of interest. Only 1 actually disappeared while on the date. The others went missing soon after the date ended. They never made it home."

"So maybe the boyfriend isn't the unsub but the fact that the women are dating is the catalyst that puts them on the unsubs radar."

Hotch nods. "Good point." He pulls out his phone and calls back to Quantico. "Garcia, can you search to see if all of these women were dating or using a dating ser- -" Hotch starts to laugh. "It was Reid's idea, why?" He laughs harder. "Okay. Get it to us when you know something." He hangs up and looks at Reid. "Both Emily and JJ had already come up with that idea and asked Garcia to look into it. You three scare us."

Reid grins. "Aren't you glad to have us all back in the field?"

"Not if you all can't come up with original ideas," Hotch answers with a wink.


	3. Chapter 3

Rossi and JJ stare at the medical examiner. "So, there was no sign of drugs, no signs of strangulation or suffocation, nothing to indicate how these women die?" JJ confirms.

"Agents, I have been in this job nearly 20 years. I've never seen anything like this. One or two suspicious deaths a year, maybe one or two unexplained deaths. But 11 deaths I have no idea how to categorize other than homicide in a one year span is beyond frustrating. I just don't know what to say to help you. It's like they just went to sleep and never woke up."

"Could the missing toes have been an injection site and the unsub took the toes to hide that?" Rossi asks.

The M.E. shakes his head, then stops and shrugs. "I don't know. Typically, foot injections occur between the big toe and the second toe. The webbing in those areas is intact and shows no site of injections. But these cases are so unusual I'm not going to discount anything. Now, unless they were injected with something that metabolized as quickly as it killed them, there was nothing in their tox screen to tell me it was cause of death."

JJ looks at Rossi. "Have you ever seen anything like this, Rossi?"

Rossi slowly shakes her head. "No. But when we catch this bastard it will make a hell of a chapter in my next book."

JJ grins. "Right." She looks back at the M.E. "Is there anything you can tell us, opinions, impressions, something that wouldn't make your official reports?"

The man slowly shakes his head. "Nothing that I can think of. I will say these women are haunting me. If anything strikes me I will be in touch."

JJ nods. "Thanks, Doctor. Hopefully you won't be needed again on this case."

The doctor smiles and points at his calendar. "I pray you're right. But if you're wrong, I'll see you Monday."

Rossi and JJ nod, then leave to meet up with the others at the precinct.

* * *

Emily leans against the SUV. "I feel like we're on a tour of hot dating spots in Boise."

Morgan nods. "Me, too. So, if we go with dating is the key and that, as Hotch told us, all boyfriends and girlfriends were cleared, what is the goal of these kills? This guy is a loser at love and wants revenge on happy couples?"

Emily shrugs. "Maybe. None of these women had huge impacts on the area. There weren't an insane number of mourners, no drawn out grieving in the news, nothing that would have fed a need to enjoy the suffering of those left behind. And then there's the clockwork aspect of this thing. The third Saturday of each month 11 months in a row, held two days, no rape, no torture, dumped on Monday in the same place. It's…it's not a mission but it's similar."

Morgan nods. The two stand in silence a moment staring at the place the last woman had disappeared. Morgan pulls out his phone. "Garcia, have you finished a like-crimes search?" He listens a minute. "Expand the parameters to include body parts other than toes taken. This guy has a pattern that he had to have developed over time." He smiles. "Thanks, Baby Girl."

He hangs up and leans beside Emily a moment longer. Finally she sighs. "I guess nothing to do but go back and start to weed through the reports to see if anything jumps out at us."

"Yep. Maybe Rossi and JJ have something from the medical examiner that can help us."

"Let's hope so," Emily says as she climbs into the passenger seat of the SUV.

As they drive, Emily stares out the window. Her mind is first on the unsub stalking dating couples. Her mind strays to what she would have done had she and JJ been stalked. And finally this train leads to her thinking of Rocky and Henry. She slowly looks at Morgan.

"Morgan? Does…does it make you think less of me if I tell you it was harder to leave Rocky than it was to leave Henry?"

Morgan glances at her. "Emily, in my opinion, it was just as hard for you to leave Henry. But you were able to bury your heartbreak to concentrate on comforting JJ. This time, it's JJ burying her pain to help you deal with yours. I think you know clinically why it feels harder to leave Rocky. You gave birth to her. You feel responsible for her in a way you've never felt responsible for someone before. Do I think less of you for that? Hell no. Do I think you love Henry less? Fuck, Em, if you loved that little boy any more your heart would explode."

Emily manages a smile. "I think I can agree with that."

He reaches over and takes her hand. "If you need to vent, scream, whatever, I am here for you."

"Thanks, Derek."

"Anytime, Princess."

* * *

When they arrive at the precinct, they join the other members of the team in pouring over 11 months and 11 victims worth of information. Detective Hale had done an incredible job getting information on the women, their family, and their friends.

At 5:30, Hotch looks at his watch. "Okay, we need to put this away for the night. It's nearly 7:30 our time. Tomorrow we start to talk to witnesses again. Rossi, JJ, you get the parents. Morgan, Prentiss, you talk to the boyfriends and girlfriend. Reid, you and I will go to their employers. Let's go get checked into the hotel and then get dinner."

The team nods. Emily puts her notes and a couple of folders in her briefcase. As they walk out of the room they are using, Detective Hale stops them.

"I know it's probably too soon but, well, anything yet?"

Hotch shakes his head. "No, I'm sorry. But you have gathered a lot of information for us to go through. That will help. Tomorrow we're going to speak to some of the witnesses again using some of our techniques. Hopefully something will add to what you've already found and point us in a new direction before Saturday."

"I sure hope so. Anything I can do to help?"

Hotch shakes his head. "Just be available if we have questions while we're doing the interviews. And stay positive."

Hale sighs. "The first isn't a problem. The second…well…there are 11 open cases on my desk and the threat of a twelfth. Not so sure I can get positive until you tell me you've got an idea who we are looking for."

Hotch smiles and nods compassionately. "Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to narrow down our focus. Good evening, Detective."

Hale nods and watches as the BAU team leaves. He had not been sure what to expect when a friend of his suggested calling in the FBI but as he sees the door close behind them he realizes he had hoped they would magically find an answer that he had missed. He turns and looks into the room they are using.

"Maybe tomorrow," he says hopefully to the pictures of the women staring at him from the murder boards.

* * *

In their SUV, Emily dials home as JJ drives.

"Hello, cara!"

Emily smiles. "Hi, Francesca. How are my angels doing?"

"They miss their mommies but are being very, very good."

Emily rubs her stomach as it trips. "Can…can I talk to Henry?"

"Sure, Emily. Henry, want to speak to Mama?"

"MAMA!" he yells happily. Emily can't help but be thrilled to hear the sound of little feet running to the phone. "Hi, Mama! Love Mama!"

"I love you, too, Henry. Did you have a good day today?"

"Si! Ska play and Wok sing!"

"You played with Alaska and sang with Rocky? That sounds like fun."

"Si, fun Mama." He starts to talk more but only a few words are understandable. Still, Emily soaks in each one as never before.

"You sound like your day was great, Champ. Want to speak to Mommy?"

"Si! Love Mama!"

"Love you, too, Champ. Love you so much."

She quickly hands off the phone as her voice cracks. JJ takes it, wishing she had an extra hand to reach out to her wife.

"Hey, Henry."

"Hi Mommy! Love Mommy!"

"I love you, too, Little Man. I hear you had a good day with your sister."

"Si! Love Wok!" He then regales his Mommy with tales of his day.

As she pulls into a parking spot, JJ is finally able to move the phone to her other hand and reach out to her wife. They sit there a moment as JJ finishes chatting with Henry.

"I miss you, Henry."

"Miss Mommy."

"I love you. Can I speak with Francesca now?"

"Si. Love Mommy. Night Mommy!"

"Goodnight, Henry."

"Jennifer?"

"Yes, Francesca. They were both good today?"

"Si, cara. All is okay. Any idea how long you will be gone?"

JJ sighs. "No idea yet. There is so much we are still trying to work out about the victims. Hopefully tomorrow we'll start to see the puzzle come together."

"Well, know the bambinos are in good hands and they miss their mommies very much."

JJ smiles. "I know both those things, Francesca. I love you."

"Love you, too, cara."

JJ hangs up and hands the phone to her wife. "You okay?"

Emily takes a deep breath. "I will be. Come on. Let's get to the room. Uh, Jen, if you want to go out to eat with the guys that's fine but I really don't feel like being social."

JJ smiles. "Then we'll order in and watch a cheesy movie. How does that sound?"

Emily smiles at her wife. "It sounds perfect."

* * *

An hour and a half later, JJ comes out of the bathroom. Emily has just put their dinner dishes in the hallway for pick up and drops down onto the bed. She starts to flip through the channels as her wife gets ready for bed. She smiles as she comes to a movie she has always loved.

"How's this for a relaxing movie, Jen?"

JJ turns and looks at the TV. "Jaws? Really? You know my feelings about the ocean."

"We're in a hotel in Boise, Idaho. I think you're safe, Jen," Emily says, amused.

JJ raises an eyebrow. "Fine. But if I have nightmares it's all your fault."

Emily sets the controller down and opens her arms to her wife. "Come on. I'll protect you."

"Right. You'll protect me from a 20' great white shark with a taste for humans chasing me in my dreams." She snuggles up to her wife.

"You know I will, baby." She kisses her wife on the top of the head. "If it makes you feel better, the shark was just acting."

JJ laughs. "Right. Sure. Much better. Thanks."

"Weren't you the one that made me watch 'Malibu Shark Attack'?"

"That's different. That was a SyFy movie. They are so cheesy scary they are fun. I know those sharks are CGI. Spielberg's shark is so…so real it's hard to convince myself this isn't a documentary."

Emily just laughs and kisses the top of her wife's head again. She pulls her close in a protective embrace.

Maybe it's a butch cliché or maybe it's just Emily needing to feel strong but every time JJ jumps and clings to her, Emily's heart soars. She had felt weak due to the emotional roller coaster her heart was on after leaving Rocky. Being able to comfort her wife, protect her wife, had steadied her. When the movie ends, Emily turns off the TV and rolls over on top of JJ.

"Thank you. I needed…needed to feel…I just…"

JJ nods. "I know."

JJ pulls her down into a deep kiss. Emily moans, her hands starting to roam over JJ's body. JJ arches into the touch, her own hands starting to lift Emily's shirt up…

…and then Emily's cell phone rings.

"Son of a bitch," Emily mutters as she grabs it. "Yeah, Morgan?"

"Emily, Detective Hale just called. A woman has gone missing and she fits some of the markers our other victims share."

"Shit. But it's not Saturday."

"Could be our presence spurred the killer to move up his timeline or it could be unrelated. Hotch wants you and I to check it out."

Emily blows out a breath. "Fine. Meet you downstairs in 10 minutes." Emily hangs up.

"Oh, HELL no!" JJ says.

Emily looks at her. "What?"

"You make me watch that movie and then plan to leave me to chase down a lead with Morgan? No fucking way, Prentiss. I'm going with you."

"But we- -"

JJ stands and starts to get dressed. "This is not a debate. Get dressed. I'll call Hotch and tell him I'm going with you two."

Emily stares at her wife a minute then laughs. "Okay. Uh, Jen, I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as you would be if you'd tried to leave my ass alone."

Emily laughs. "Big bad FBI agent my ass."

JJ just glares at her wife. Emily wisely wipes the smile from her face and starts to get dressed.


	4. Chapter 4

Thirty minutes later the three agents get out of their SUV an approach the cordoned off crime scene. Morgan is still chuckling about why JJ was with them.

"Morgan, don't make me shoot you," JJ cautions him.

Emily nods to Detective Hale. "So, what do we have?"

"A guy and his girlfriend were here earlier this evening. When they got home she realized she left her scarf behind at the restaurant. They drove back together to get it. He went inside, when he came out she was gone, her purse still on the seat of car."

Emily nods. "Okay. JJ, talk to the boyfriend. Morgan, talk to the restaurant manager. I'll take a look at the car."

The other two agents nod and they split up to start their investigation. Emily moves to the car that is parked near the end of the building.

_"I know it's cold, but why the hell not wait until tomorrow to get your scarf?"_ Emily thinks to herself.

She studies the parking lot. There are camera's on the restaurant but they are pointing towards the front doors. She steps back to get a better angle but it is obvious even the camera's pointed in this direction would not pick up this car.

"Convenient," she mutters.

She finally approaches the car. She slips on a pair of latex gloves and tries to open the passenger door. It's locked.

"Strange." She looks at the officer standing nearby. "Has anyone opened this door?"

"No, ma'am."

Emily nods. "Thanks. Why would a kidnapper take the time to lock the door?" she mutters to herself. She looks in the window and sees the missing woman's purse is, in fact, sitting on the passenger seat. "No way. If she's in the car and it's on her lap as she's grabbed it's all over the place, not placed neatly right there. This isn't right."

She studies the ground around the car and doesn't see anything that would indicate a struggle on the ground or on the car.

"So unless she just gave herself up, placed her purse right there, and then locked the car this isn't adding up."

* * *

JJ had studied the pacing man as she approached him. He looked more like a lion waiting to be neutered versus a predator ready to attack. Nerves can mean guilt. Fury can mean fear. Not good.

"Nathan Petty? I'm Jennifer Jareau with the FBI. Can I talk to you about your girlfriend?"

He nods. "Sure. She's missing. Someone took her. That guy took her. You know, the one in the news. He took her."

"That's what we're here to make sure of, sir. Tell me, how long had you two been together?"

"Six months. I had planned to ask her to marry me."

She smiles supportively. "And hopefully you still can. Why did you park so far from the door of the restaurant?"

"I…there was a car pulled up lengthwise across the front spaces. I guess waiting to pick someone up or something. So I had to park farther away." He glares at JJ. "This ISN'T my fault!"

JJ nods. "I know, sir. I just need to know what you saw because that's what the kidnapper saw."

"Oh. Right."

"Did you see anyone in the parking lot other than the person in the car by the doors?"

He shakes his head. "No. No one."

"Did you get the feeling you were being watched? Or that someone could have been watching you at any point tonight?"

He shakes his head. "No. Nothing like that."

Not once had the man looked JJ in the eyes. Not once had he demanded that she go look for his girlfriend. She studies him as he runs a hand through his hair. She sees scratches on the back of his hand.

"That looks painful. What happened to your hand?"

He looks at his hand, as if seeing the scratches for the first time. "Uh…we have a, uh, kitten."

JJ nods. "Ah, I see." She can't help but think. _"I have a cat, too, and those aren't cat scratches. Strike 2."_She watches him a moment. "One last question, why did you have to come back for the scarf tonight?"

He shrugs. "She wanted it for work. It's cold."

JJ nods. "Of course. Thank you, Mr. Petty. I know this is a terrible time for you."

"Yeah. So, can I go? I have to be at work at 6 tomorrow morning."

_"And strike 3,_" JJ thinks. "Actually, we'll need you to wait a little longer. Thanks."

JJ heads off to meet up with Morgan and Emily.

* * *

Morgan raises an eyebrow. "So no one turned in a scarf? None of the wait staff saw it?"

"No. I told that guy the same thing. He left and then came back in screaming that his girlfriend had been taken."

"How long between him leaving and coming back in screaming?" Morgan asks.

The manager shrugs. "Maybe a minute."

"Okay. Can I get a look at the video from your outside cameras?"

The manager blushes. "Uh, they don't actually work. My nephew did the work and he screwed something up. Every time they were on and someone turned on the dishwasher it would trip a fuse. We only turn them on at night before we leave."

Morgan cusses to himself. "I see. Do you know if there was a reason for him to park so far away from the door?"

The manager shakes his head. "Not that I know of. We were getting ready to close so only the employee cars were in the lot."

"Out of curiosity, is Nathan Petty a regular?"

The manager shakes his head. "I don't recognize him. You'd have to ask the rest of the staff though to make sure."

"Thanks. We'll do that."

Morgan walks to the entrance as Emily and JJ step inside. He looks around to make sure no one can hear.

"Camera's outside don't work."

"Figures," Emily mutters.

"Guys, this jerk is lying to us. He's more concerned with getting a good night's sleep before work tomorrow than finding his girlfriend," JJ whispers.

"And the car is wrong. The passenger's side door is locked, her purse sitting neatly on the passenger's seat," Emily adds.

"He claims he parked so far away because a car blocked the front spaces," JJ notes.

Morgan raises an eyebrow. "Really? Manager said there were no cars out there except the staff cars. And he said no one turned in a scarf that was left behind."

"This guy is off," JJ says. "I think he's using the media stories to cover himself. He's got scratches on his hands he says are from a kitten. Trust me when I say Sergio has taught me all about scratches and those aren't cat scratches."

Emily nods. "We need to get a warrant for his house and his girlfriend's house. He's taking time away from our investigation but we need to see this through to keep it from getting wrapped up into the true serial killings."

"I'll go talk to Hale," Morgan says. "You two talk to Petty. See if he'll give us permission to search his house. Tell him it's just standard. I want to know how he reacts."

Emily and JJ nod and go track down the supposedly upset man.

"Mr. Petty? This is one of my partners, Agent Prentiss," JJ says. "As part of the investigation we need to go take a look at your house. Would that be okay?"

Petty's eyes widen briefly before he gets control back. "I, uh, would rather you didn't. It's, um, really not clean and stuff."

Emily smiles kindly. "That's okay. I'm sure we've seen worse."

He swallows, his carotid artery pulsing faster. "Um, no, really. I can't let you. Maybe tomorrow?"

Emily glances over her shoulder and sees Morgan and Hale approaching. Morgan nods. Emily turns back.

"I'm afraid we can't wait, Mr. Petty. We're going to your house and your girlfriend's house tonight. This is your only chance to come clean. Where is your girlfriend?"

Petty stares at her. His eyes flick to Morgan and Hale. He turns and sees two police officers had stepped up behind him. He tenses.

"Don't do it, Mr. Petty," JJ warns, seeing he is preparing to try to flee.

He turns and sees more officers have moved closer. Finally his shoulders slump.

"I want a lawyer."

Emily nods. "Better hope he's a good one."

Officers step forward and take Petty into custody. Emily, Morgan and JJ look at Detective Hale. He shakes his head.

"Sorry, Agents. I had a gut feeling that he was lying but I couldn't risk being wrong."

Morgan nods. "No harm, no foul. Better to figure it out this way then regret it later. We understand."

"I guess I'll see you all in the morning. Goodnight, Agents."

The agents go back to their SUV. As Morgan drives them back to the hotel Emily sends Hotch a text to let him know it was a copycat not their unsub.

When they get back to their room, Emily and JJ quickly get ready for bed. As they crawl into bed, Emily pulls her wife close.

"So, will you be able to sleep now?"

JJ smiles. "Maybe." She draws her tongue up Emily's neck. "I can think of a way to make sure I have nothing but good dreams."

Emily smiles and rolls over, placing herself halfway on top of her wife. "Oh? And what might that be?"

JJ runs her hands up under her wife's shirt. "You're a Yale grad. Figure it out."

Emily smiles and gives her wife a deep, passionate kiss. Soon she has, indeed, figured it out.


	5. Chapter 5

Morgan and Emily sit down across from Jamal Loggins. He stares at his hands.

"We'd only been dating 2 months. I really liked her but hadn't gotten to the point of saying 'I love you' yet. Now…now I think I was an idiot to wait."

Emily leans towards him. "I'm sure she knew you cared for her. There is no reason for you to feel guilty for still getting to know her." She takes a deep breath. "Jamal, I know this sounds insensitive but I need to know, had you two had sex yet?"

Jamal slowly shakes his head. "No. There was one night where we got kind of close but then she stopped us. We just…we weren't there yet." He looks up at the agents. "I really liked her and thought she could be the one. I was willing to take it slow because I could actually see a future with her. I may not have said I loved her but I did. I was willing to wait because I was sure that we had a future."

Emily smiles. "That's good, Jamal. Hang on to those memories and feelings. Do you remember if she had mentioned feeling like someone was following her or feeling like she was being watched?"

He shakes his head. "No, nothing like that."

"Did you ever get that feeling?"

"No. No, when I was with her I was just happy. She…she made me happy."

"Has she had any issues with people at work? Either co-workers or customers?"

"Nothing that she mentioned to me. She seemed happy and okay. Nothing to tell me she was worried." He shakes his head. "Who would hurt her? She was…was kind and caring. She wouldn't hurt anyone else. Why would they hurt her?"

Emily reaches out and takes his hand. "I don't know. And until we catch this man we won't know. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to understand that which is inherently ignorant. Just focus on the good times you all had. Keep her in your heart, Jamal."

He manages a small smile. "That's the only part of this shit that's easy, Agent Prentiss."

She nods. Soon the two agents are back in their SUV. It is nearly noon and they had spoken with 5 people so far that morning. They make their way to a local diner to get lunch and discuss what they have heard so far. Once they place their orders, Emily leans on the table.

"How the hell did no one have any idea they were being watched? This guy had to know his victims well enough to know they were dating someone, know where they could be taken, know that they'd be missed. That takes time, planning and stalking. Yet no one's sixth sense told them they were under scrutiny."

Morgan shakes his head. "I don't know. Granted, we have 6 more people to talk to but it does seem to defy the odds that 5 of 5 so far had no idea they were being watched."

The two stop their discussion as their drinks and appetizer are delivered. Emily grabs a potato skin and smears some sour cream on it. As she takes a bite, she sits back in the booth and stares out the window. Morgan is also staring elsewhere. Their minds are sorting through the information they had read and that which they had come up with themselves. Emily slowly turns and looks at her partner.

"Who don't you see?"

"What?"

"Who don't you see? Think about it. You see cops because you always wonder 'Gee am I speeding or trespassing or jaywalking'. You see firefighters and EMT's because you wonder what they are doing. Who don't you see? Who just blends in?"

Morgan takes a bite, chewing on his food and Emily's question equally. "Other couples, maybe someone walking their dog. Workers like waitresses, ticket sellers, and such."

Emily nods. "This guy has to be unseen in at least 9 places. 11 victims, 9 abduction sites. Who is unseen at each of those places?"

"I get what you're saying, Em, but I don't have a solid answer. We need to go back to the abduction sites and rethink it with that question in mind."

"And we need to do it today. We can't speak to two people until after 6 tonight. Let's talk to the next 4 and then tour the sites again. We can go back to the station if we have time or just go right to those last 2 interviews."

Morgan nods. "Sounds like a plan." He sits back as their lunch is delivered. Once their waitress leaves, he smiles at Emily. "So, how was your first night away from Rocky?"

Emily manages a grin. "Better than I thought it would be. Helped to be able to watch a favorite movie and then go to a crime scene. By the time we got back I was so tired sleep came easily."

Morgan starts to chuckle. He raises an eyebrow, not saying a word. Emily blushes.

"Oh, shit…you heard us?"

He starts to laugh. "Thin walls, Porn Star."

Emily bursts out laughing. "Derek, you ever call me that again I'll kick your butt. Hope we didn't keep you awake."

"Nope. Turned on the TV to drown you two out."

"Oh, geez. Well, if it happens again, I promise to be quieter."

He laughs. "Actually, it was Jayje singing your praises that shook the pictures on the walls."

Emily grins smugly. "Well…I _am_ that good."

He laughs and the two enjoy a relaxing lunch, giving them clearer heads as they head into their afternoon interviews.

* * *

Rossi and JJ sit down with their sixth set of parents on the day. Rossi takes the lead.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stafford, we can't imagine the pain of your loss. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today."

"Anything to help you find who killed our Lana," the woman's mother says.

"Do you know if she had been nervous about anyone following her in the weeks before her death?" Rossi asks.

"No. Not that she said. She could have mentioned it to her boyfriend Mario but I don't know."

JJ nods. "He's being asked these questions, too. Is there anyone else she would have confided in?"

Mr. Stafford shrugs. "Maybe her best friend Melanie. I…I have her number here somewhere."

"If you could get it we'd appreciate it," JJ tells him.

Rossi leans forward in his seat. "Did you and your husband approve of her relationship with Mario?"

Mrs. Stafford frowns. "Why the hell do you ask that?"

"I mean no disrespect. But if you didn't like him for some reason and maybe mentioned that to a friend or co-worker, or even mentioned it to Lana who told someone, it's just an avenue we look down."

"We…at first…we weren't happy she was dating a Hispanic man. But that changed, Agent Rossi! He was polite, he adored Lana, he even came and helped us paint the living room. And you could see in his eyes he had nothing but love and respect for our daughter. He won me over."

JJ frowns in consideration of that statement. "He won you over? What about your husband?"

"What about me?" he says as he walks back into the room.

JJ looks up at him. "Did you approve of your daughter's boyfriend?"

He straightens up, clearly angered by the question. "Get out of here! This was supposed to be about Lana, not me!"

JJ stands. "Sir, I promise you, I'm not judging you. I'm asking because if you mentioned any qualms about her relationship to someone it could be what caused- -"

He reaches out and grabs JJ by the lapels of her suit jacket. "DON'T YOU DARE BLAME ME!"

Rossi leaps up and grabs one of the man's arms. "She's not blaming you, Mr. Stafford. Now let her go before we have to charge you with assaulting a Federal officer."

Stafford glares at JJ a second before letting her go with a slight shove.

"Get the hell out of my house." He throws Melanie's number at them before storming out of the living room.

Rossi picks up the piece of paper and turns to Mrs. Stafford. He hands her his card. "If you think of anything that can help us, please give me a call."

The shaken woman just nods as Rossi and JJ grab their coats and heads out to their SUV. Once inside, JJ stares at her feet.

"I fucked up."

Rossi nods. "Yep. About damn time, too." JJ slowly turns and looks at him. "Every profiler screws up an interview at some point. You hadn't yet. Tell me, what did it teach you?"

JJ sighs. "To tried to read people better and to phrase potentially divisive questions much more carefully. If he had information for us we may have lost our chance to get it."

"Yep. It also didn't help that you stood up. It was an aggressive act in his eyes. Had he hit you we would have either had to arrest him or lose further credibility with him by letting it slide."

"Shit. Is this just between us?" she asks nervously.

"JJ, you're still in your probationary year as a profiler. At least on paper. I need to bring this up to Hotch so he can show you're not perfect and not just being given a clear ride. Don't worry about it. It happens to all of us."

"Really?"

"Really." Then he grins. "Well, not to me but then I am an exception to the rule."

JJ laughs, nodding. "Right. I'll keep that in mind." She looks up at him. "Thanks, Rossi."

"Anytime, kid. Let's go see another family. And maybe not get into a scuffle this time."

JJ shakes her head, grinning. "We didn't get into a scuffle."

"Only because I was scared you'd wipe the floor with that guy."

"Sure. He was only twice my size. Nothing on a day like today."

The two grin and then make their way to the next set of parents on their list.

* * *

Hotch and Reid leave their last place of business for the day. As they sit letting the SUV warm up Hotch shakes his head.

"How does no one know they are being watched? It makes no sense."

Reid frowns, flipping through the notes in his hand even though they are burned into his memory. "Maybe the women just didn't bring it up at work."

"I can't imagine that not one single woman mentioned it to a co-worker. None showed nervousness about going out to eat at lunch or running errands. And the two in sales continually had new clients they were meeting with for the first time. They didn't ask for anyone to check on them, they didn't tell anyone they had nerves beyond just business. Not one single woman seemed to know she was being targeted. It makes no sense!"

Reid slowly shakes his head. "No common places they shopped, no common hangouts. Only 2 abduction sites overlap. What if they didn't see their stalker because he was too common to be seen?"

Hotch studies the young doctor. "Like other couples, other shoppers or movie goers."

"Or more likely the workers. You tend not to really pay attention to the person selling you a ticket or serving your food. Truth is, you might notice other couples because you would subconsciously be comparing them to your relationship. And you could even notice a single person and maybe wonder why they don't have what you have."

"Good point. We need to get Garcia looking at employee records to see if there's anyone working in all these areas." He pulls out his phone.

"Office of the All Knowing but Very Tired Goddess," Garcia answers.

Hotch chuckles. "I know it's nearly 6 for you, Garcia, but can you handle getting one more search going? There's a case of Monster in it for you."

"Oh, Agent Hotchner, you know the way to bribe yourself into my little be-speckled heart," she chirps happily. "What can I find for you?"

"I need you to run employee records for the 9 abduction sites and surrounding businesses, maybe even city records, to see if there's a person common to all of them."

Garcia starts to type. "That's going to take a while so I'll have it run overnight. Keep in mind, if anyone is using an alias or being paid under the table this won't help."

"I know, Garcia, but so far this guy is a ghost. Tomorrow is Friday and if we don't get a handle on him a woman goes missing on Saturday."

"Yeah, I get it. No pressure or anything."

Hotch grins. "Anything you can do would be more than appreciated. No pressure. Just do your magic to the best of your ability."

"Always. Just so you know, the mind meld search is done. None of the women paid for a dating service, none had common numbers being called to them or by them, and none of them had an unusual number of unknown callers."

Hotch sighs. "I was afraid you'd say that. Thanks for everything, Garcia. Have a good night."

"Goodnight, Hotch. You all take care and keep warm."

"We'll sure try." Hotch hangs up and looks at Reid. "Let's get back to the precinct and get our information up on the boards. The others should be in soon, too."

Reid nods, still reviewing the information, hoping something will leap out at him.

* * *

When Hotch and Reid arrive, they find Rossi and JJ already updating the boards. Rossi gives Hotch a meaningful look, letting him know they'd have to talk about the newest profiler later. As JJ finishes making a note on the last board she steps back and stares at it all. Suddenly her eyes get wide.

"Oh my God! I get the toes now!"

Everyone turns to her. She looks at her teammates. "The ones who lost their big toe were in same race relationships. Those in mixed relationships lost their little toe."

Rossi, Reid and Hotch slowly check her findings. Hotch finally nods.

"That has to be it. It's a way of racially profiling his kills."

"And if he keeps the toes, he is able to remind himself what sort of relationship he ended. It's like…like a sociology study," Reid states. He looks at the others. "What if he's doing research? How long the women take to die? Maybe how much fear they have? Anything he can observe during the two days he has them captive. Then he takes a month to write up all his findings and look for his next subject. He takes them the exact same weekend each time because that is vital to his statistics."

The other nod, agreeing with this strange pathology. Hotch finally sighs.

"If that is the case there is one thing we need to consider." The others look at him. "All experiments have a control subject. He may have 1 or 2 women, one from each relationship-type, to compare these 11 women against."

"Shit, you could be right, Aaron," Rossi says quietly."

Hotch glances at his watch. "Garcia is gone for the day. I'll send her an email to check missing person's reports for the months prior to the start of the deaths. Let's not let this idea leave this room. We don't need it to leak to the media. They would go crazy with this idea and if we're wrong we'll never get the focus back where we need it."

The others nod in agreement.

"Morgan and Prentiss will meet us back at the hotel tonight. They have two late interviews and want to check out a hunch about the abduction sites that actually coincides with one Reid and I came up with. Hopefully they can either disprove it so we can discard it or prove it and give us another thread to pull. Reid, get our findings up on the board and we can debrief each other before calling it a night."

Reid nods and gets to work. Hotch steps out to the bathroom. Rossi waits a moment then follows. Once they know they are alone, Rossi tells Hotch about the confrontation between Mr. Stafford and JJ. When it ends Hotch actually grins.

"Thank God I finally have something negative to put in her file."

Rossi chuckles. "Yeah, I told her it would probably be a good thing. And I promise you, Hotch, she got what she did wrong. She won't make that mistake again."

Hotch nods. "I believe it. I'll talk it over with her on the flight home. As far as I'm concerned it's a lesson learned."

Rossi nods. "Agreed."

The two head back to the conference room to try to get things finished up for the night.

* * *

Morgan and Emily walk down a path towards the pond in Ann Morrison Park. They are scanning the area, looking at who else is out and about on this cold day. Since the most recent abduction happened here it was the right temperature for comparison.

"There are a lot of people around here. How did she not attract attention while being grabbed?" Emily asks. "How could no one see her get taken?"

Morgan shakes his head. "I don't know. Maybe it's not as busy here on Saturday's. That's the only factor we're working with here that doesn't match."

"Right. So, I'm out for a jog, listening to my iPod, remembering lunch with my boyfriend, thinking about our date later that night, thinking that life is pretty damn good. Am I so caught up in all that I don't notice my attacker? Or do I know them? Maybe say hi to them. Maybe they need help, maybe they just want to chat. I go with them and I'm never seen again. Who do all these women trust enough to get taken?"

"Maybe they don't trust enough to get taken. Maybe they trust just enough to get surprised. There were no signs of bruising from being hit or from fighting back. No syringe or tazer marks. What about something like chloroform or something similar. They could be sprayed, get dizzy, the unsub 'helps' them, and next thing they know they are prisoners."

Emily nods. "Could be. Shit. Still noting definite. There is no pattern telling us where the next abduction is happening or we could stake it out." She rubs a hand over her face. "Look, let's go grab a cup of coffee and get to our next interview. Maybe tomorrow when we look at everything we have with everything Detective Hale has we'll find the pattern we've missed."

Morgan nods. "Sounds like a good plan. You treating?" he playfully nudges his shoulder with his.

"Depends. You telling Jen about last night?"

"Not if you're treating."

Emily laughs and squeezes his arm. "Then I guess I'm treating."

* * *

From a far off stand of trees, a man watches. He had seen the FBI agents several times that day. They are obviously more than just partners.

He lifts his camera with the 400 MM telephoto lens and takes a few more shots of Emily and Morgan. Like the others, he would paper scenes from their love life on the ceiling to help her in the transition. He had observed that seeing their loves had given the women the gumption to try to last longer. It had been an intriguing development during his research.

He lowers the camera, manipulating the most recent picture of Emily to frame her face in the view screen. Her strength of mind was evident in everything she did. How long would that strength keep her from crossing over?

She would make a very interesting test subject. Yes…very interesting indeed.


	6. Chapter 6

JJ glances at her watch. It is just about 8 Eastern time. She crosses her fingers as she dials. "Hi, Francesca. Is Henry still awake?"

"Si, cara, but just barely. Henry, it's Mommy."

"Hi, Mommy," he says happily through a yawn.

JJ smiles. "Hi, Little Man. I just wanted to tell you I love you and say goodnight."

"Night, Mommy. Love, Mommy."

JJ hears the sound of the phone falling. A second later she hears a chuckling nanny.

"Jennifer, he is out."

JJ laughs. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said he was just barely awake. But I'm glad his sleep cycle isn't getting messed up."

"Not at all, cara. And with his Aunt Penny here to play with him he was even more tired than normal."

JJ chuckles. "Ah, yes, Aunt Penny is good about tiring out the kids, that's for sure. I'm glad she didn't go back up to D.C."

"Si, me, too. She is very tired and says she must be back by 7 tomorrow so it is good she is here."

"Yeah, it really is. Did Emily get a chance to call?"

"No. She is not with you?"

"No, she and Morgan had late interviews to hold. They probably won't get here until 8 or so. Right now the rest of us are going downstairs for dinner. I just wanted to try to catch Henry before he went to sleep. Is Rocky okay?"

Francesca smiles. "She is wonderful. I know she misses her mommies but she is sleeping and eating okay. And she had much fun with Aunt Penny's necklaces when it was time for her last bottle of the night. Played with them much the way she usually plays with Emily's brand or your hair."

JJ smiles. "Aw, too cute. Well, I better go. I'm sure you are looking forward to kicking back and relaxing for a little bit while the kiddies sleep."

"Yes, though Penelope has said she would teach me the ins and outs of Texas Poker Hold Them."

JJ smiles at the slightly backward name. "Be careful. She cheats."

Francesca chuckles. "Si, cara, that is what she is teaching me."

JJ bursts out laughing. "Every day I love you more and more, Francesca."

"I love you, too, Jennifer. I hope you and Emily are home soon."

"Me, too. Goodnight, Francesca."

"Goodnight, cara."

JJ hangs up and goes to join the guys for dinner.

* * *

It is after 8 before Morgan and Emily make it back to the hotel. The African-American agent had noticed the somber attitude of his best friend. As he parks he looks over at her.

"I'm sorry you missed talking to Henry, Em."

Emily just nods. "Yeah. Thanks. I just…" she doesn't finish the sentence. Her heart won't let her.

He pats her on the leg. "Yeah. Come on."

Emily just nods and follows him into the hotel. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and she gratefully leans into the support.

They have no idea a man parked all the way across the parking lot is busily snapping more pictures of them.

* * *

After dinner, JJ had gone back up to the room planning to ignore the case for a while. But as she moves her tablet over to the desk to charge it the screen pops up showing one of the autopsy photos. As she goes to turn it off, a small discoloration on the woman's arm suddenly strikes her as familiar.

JJ carries the tablet to the bed and starts to flip through the various pictures. She sees similar discolorations on the other women but in different places, different sizes. She turns the tablet in her hands, trying to figure out what she's seeing.

"What the hell are you and why am I suddenly thinking I know what you are?"

She goes back to her briefcase and pulls out the color photos of the autopsies. She searches through them and each time she finds one of the strange markings, she sets the picture on the bed. She reads over the reports and sees they are listed as fading bruises.

"Okay, different places on the bodies. Different sizes. What could have caused the similar markings, Jennifer? No way it's a coincidence. They aren't bruises, right? Why are these familiar to you?"

She paces, her eyes closed and suddenly a memory hits her.

* * *

"**Jennifer Andrea Jareau look at you! Why the heck didn't you come in sooner?"**

**JJ is nearly blue she is so cold. "Pl—pl—playin', M-Mom."**

**Sandy Jareau stares at her 10 year old daughter and shakes her head. She had insisted on going sledding with Mark. He had come home an hour before, saying JJ was still playing with some friends under the watchful eyes of a few parents.**

**But now the little girl was nearly frozen. Sandy helps her daughter peel off her icy cold clothes.**

**"Oh, Jenny, look at your wrists!"**

**Where her coat and gloves had not created a perfect seal ice and snow had managed to get to her skin. There were brownish red discolorations around both arms, like some sort of strange bracelets.**

**"Jenny, look at those marks. That's frostbite. Not severe but if you had stayed out much longer it would have been much worse. You'd have ended up in the hospital! From now on, when your brother or sister come home **_**you**_**come home, young lady. Do you understand me?"**

**JJ just nods, too cold to speak.**

**"Good. Now, go get some dry warm clothes on. Get in bed and I'll bring you some cocoa and soup. We need to get you warmed back up. You're a walking ice block."**

**JJ doesn't argue just hurries to her room, sure she would never be warm again.**

* * *

"It was like they just went to sleep and never woke up," JJ whispers, repeating words the medical examiner had spoken. "Maybe that's exactly what happened. He doses them, captures them, puts them in some sort of freezer until they die. Something touched these women, something metal, making that area colder and starting frostbite before they died."

She paces a minute. Why hadn't the M.E. caught it? She glances out the window.

"Because it's Boise in February. Good chance frostbite, especially cases this minor, are common. It may not have struck him as odd since they are so different on each woman. But then damn it, why is it different on each woman if they are kept at the same place in the same conditions?"

JJ is still pacing as the door to the room opens and Emily walks in.

"Hey, baby," Emily says tiredly. She frowns at the bed. "What's all this?"

JJ picks up one of the pictures and hands it to her wife. "All the women had varying degrees of frostbite. The medical examiner said it was like each woman just went to sleep and never woke up."

"And if they were in a freezer or something that's exactly what could have happened. But what about signs of freezing in the tissue?"

"He may not have frozen them, just left them in there long enough to kill them. When I was a kid, Mark had this hamster that developed a really bad infection. The vet told my dad he could either pay a crazy amount of money to euthanize the animal or put it in a plastic bag in the freezer and just let it go to sleep. Maybe the unsub is doing the same minus the plastic bag!"

Emily nods, seeing it as a possibility. "Okay. But why weren't the women fighting with everything they have to get out of that freezer? Most people would be missing fingernails, have broken fingers, something showing they want out."

"True. But what if they couldn't? He could dose them with something that makes them sleep. By the time it metabolizes out of their system they can't wake up."

Emily nods. "Scarily, I think you've hit on a good theory. Get with the M.E. tomorrow and confirm that we really are seeing early stage frostbite and that it had to have happened around the time of their abduction."

JJ nods. "Right. So, how did your interviews go today?"

Emily drops down into the desk chair. "Frustrating. No one seemed to know they were being watched. No one was at the 'ready to commit for life' stage but most were at a point that they knew they could be with 'the one'. These women were all in new love. That can't be a coincidence but how the hell does the unsub know that?"

JJ shrugs. "I don't know. He knows way too much about his victims." She starts to gather the case pics together. "And I know enough about my wife to know she needs to turn this off for the night."

Emily sighs. "Yeah, I do." She pauses. "I, um, never called Henry and Rocky, Jen," she says shamefully.

JJ turns and looks at her. "I know. It happens, baby."

"Bullshit. I've been home for so long I should be making this a better transition for Henry. I'm sorry, Jennifer."

JJ sets the case file aside and walks over to her wife. She frames the brunettes face in her hands and stares into sad brown eyes.

"Henry was okay, Emily. Pen is staying at the house tonight and played with him until he tired himself out. I barely got to say goodnight to him before he fell asleep. He's okay, Em."

"So he doesn't even need me. Great," she says sadly.

JJ has to bite her lip to stop from giggling. She pulls Emily into a kiss. "You can be the most frustratingly cute woman I have ever known. Baby, both of our children need you. But let me reiterate to you that we have an amazing support group around us. Our kids can go to bed with us so far away because they feel safe and loved even when we aren't there. That's the best thing we can hope for as long as we are with the BAU."

Emily reaches up and takes JJ's hands. "Thank you. Sorry I got a little whiney."

JJ smiles. "It's okay. It's kind of cute when you get whiney since it doesn't happen often."

Emily chuckles and pulls JJ into her lap. "I love you, Jennifer Prentiss."

"I love you, too." She starts to slide her hand up under Emily's sweater. "How about I show you just how much I love you?"

Emily smiles. "Sounds good. But you might want to text Morgan and tell him to turn his TV on."

JJ frowns. "Why?"

"Because last night he heard you screaming my praises." JJ's eyes get wide. "Thin walls."

JJ leaps off Emily's lap, her face bright red. "Oh my God! You're lying!"

"Nope."

JJ buries her face in her hands. "Well, that's a mood killer. If you even think of touching me again this trip you'll be cut off for life, Emily Prentiss!"

Emily laughs and stands, pulling her wife close. "Are you sure?" she asks, drawing her tongue up JJ's ear.

"Emily, I swear, get your hands off me," JJ says rather unconvincingly.

"Who says I need my hands to make you scream?" Emily points out, suckling where JJ's neck meets her shoulder.

"Oh, Em…" JJ moans. She then pushes her wife away. "No! If he can hear- -"

Emily stops JJ's protests with a deep, passionate kiss. When it ends, JJ's eyes are nearly black with desire.

"If he hears he can eat his fucking heart out," JJ finishes, pulling Emily into another deep kiss.

Emily pulls JJ's sleep shirt up and off, filling her hands with her wife's breasts. "Damn, Jen, I love your breasts," she murmurs as she rolls and squeezes them.

JJ is working on Emily's pants, unbuckling the sexily off-set belt. "Do you know how much this belt thing of yours drives me crazy? First time I saw it all I could think was how much I wanted to open it to see what treasure it was hiding."

Emily gives her wife a kiss. "Good to know." She lets go of the blonde's breasts long enough to pull her own sweater and turtleneck up and off. Before it clears her head, JJ is unsnapping the black satin bra and taking one pert breast into her mouth.

"OH JEN!" Emily hollers, feeling her panties get damp.

She shoves her own pants down and toes off her boots, using the motion to start backing JJ towards the bed. Her fingers are threaded into blonde locks, keeping JJ's mouth toying with her hard nipple. She pushes JJ back onto the bed and drags her sleep pants off before crawling on top of her. She stares down at her wife.

"I love you so much, Jennifer."

JJ rubs her wife's chest. "I love you, too. Make love to me, Emily."

"Your wish is always my command," Emily whispers as her mouth captures JJ's once more.

Their tongues tango, giving and receiving pleasure to each other equally. Emily spreads JJ's legs with her own. As she grinds her thigh against blonde curls wet with desire, JJ presses her leg up against Emily's dark center. They moan into each other, thrusting harder against each other. Emily needs more. She starts to kiss her way down but JJ stops her.

"Please, Jen, I need to taste you," Emily begs.

JJ nods, nipping at Emily's lip. "I know. I need to taste you, too."

Emily tenses as another wave of desire washes out of her. She carefully turns herself, letting JJ guide her legs where she needs them. At the first touch of JJ's tongue, Emily nearly comes. Her ass tightens as she rolls her clit against JJ's lips.

"Oh, Jen…so fucking good…"

She lowers her head, dragging her tongue along JJ's throbbing center. JJ moans against Emily's clit. The brunette knows she won't last much longer and she wants to try to come with her wife. She lifts JJ's hips and sucks in her wife's golden jewel. They match each other's rhythm, sucking thrusting against each other. When she feels her wife close, Emily lifts a hand and thrusts two fingers in.

JJ screams against her wife's center. Her tongue lashes her wife's throbbing nub and she, too, enters her wife with two fingers. It doesn't take long before both women explode, the essence of their love drawn out with tongues and fingers.

Emily rolls off her wife as they both lie gasping for breath. She runs her hand over JJ's stomach.

"I love you so much."

JJ takes her wife's hand, entwining their fingers. "I love you, too, Em."

Emily finally gets herself turned around and pulls JJ close. She stares into her wife's eyes. "Thank you for…for everything, Jen."

"No need to thank me, baby. We're in this life together. That means always being there for each other. It truly is my pleasure to be your rock when you need me to be."

Emily smiles. "I know the feeling. Lucky us."

JJ grins. "Right. Lucky us."

She gives Emily a loving kiss. Soon it turns into more and they are once again celebrating their love for each other.


	7. Chapter 7

"Okay, so what do we know from our investigation?" Hotch asks, standing near a white board. It is 7 a.m. on Friday and they know the clock is running out on a woman in Boise.

"His dump site is a pedestal but there isn't anyone of suspicion in the one building with the perfect sightline to it," Rossi states.

"At some point the victims are being put into some sort of cold storage long enough to get minor frostbite on points of contact with something but not long enough to cause tissue damage from freezing," JJ adds.

"He manages to get the women without bruising or cutting them and without attracting attention to the abduction," Emily points out.

Morgan nods. "And there are plenty of people around so he is normal enough to not even warrant a wary look."

"His comfort zone for abducting seems to be all over Boise leading me to believe he actually stalks his victims and finally takes them when it fits his predetermined parameters."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…Reid's right," Emily states, sitting up and staring at the map. "And that doesn't make sense."

"Why not?" Hotch asks.

"He has to know they are single but dating, and he has to be able to get them alone to abduct them on the third Saturday of a month. How the hell does he make sure that happens? And why is it so important?"

Reid sits forward. "I theorized that he may be a researcher of some sort and needs these women to fit certain aspects of his experiment. As such, I also have Garcia looking for women who may still be missing who are acting as control subjects for his research."

Emily frowns. "So, would they still be alive or are they dead, their bodies being held both frozen and thawed to be true control subjects?"

JJ winces. "That's too gross to consider and yet it could be they are dead if Reid's theory is correct."

"That's just one theory," Hotch interjects. "Let's not get so invested in it that we stop looking elsewhere."

Reid and Emily nod, though all see the nerds are pretty sold on the younger agents idea. JJ looks back down at her notes.

"The frostbite signs I found were written off as a rash or even minor bruises in the warmer months. Since there was no cellular degradation and they weren't all the same size and shape I think they were missed as being pertinent to the investigation."

Hotch nods. "True. But we still haven't figured out how he finds his victims or, as Prentiss pointed out, how he arranges the perfect abductions. Does anyone want to add anything to our list?" No one says anything. "Okay. Then let's get the evidence boxes open and see what Detective Hale had for each murder."

The agents nod and each one picks a victim and starts the tedious process of reviewing all the evidence. Each agent would go over every murder. At noon Hotch orders pizza and the agents keep working.

At 2 p.m. Rossi closes the last evidence box and they all stare at each other. For a couple of minutes no one says a word. Finally Emily stands.

"We are so fucked."

Rossi gives a half-grin. "Is that your official report?"

Emily chuckles. "Yep."

The team shares a needed laugh. Finally Hotch moves back to the board.

"The schedule, the minor frostbite, the seemingly unexplainable death. Same thing all eleven times." He turns and looks at Reid. "What would he be researching?"

Reid frowns, considering the question. "Maybe how young love affects death?"

"Or maybe if single women die faster than non-single women?" Emily offers.

"Or it could be about the mixed race aspect," JJ jumps in. "Maybe he wants to know if same race relationships make you live longer or shorter. Could be a personal quest of some sort."

"Could be he just doesn't want anyone to have a happily ever after," Rossi notes.

Morgan sits forward. "What about a fairy tale ending? She falls asleep and maybe he tries to 'Prince Charming' her back to life?"

"Ew," Emily states. "Sick but possible."

"My biggest worry is that with no set type of woman we have no way to warn the public. And tomorrow he will take number 12," Hotch states.

Rossi sits forward. "But we _do _have a type! Women in new relationships. We can at least make sure that is known. We can also put out there that this schmuck is somehow stalking them, planning his attack. We can make people vigilant."

Hotch slowly nods. "Okay. I'll get with Hale and see if we can get a statement out to the press. If nothing else, maybe we can at least disrupt his pattern this weekend."

"And maybe we can help stake out the abduction sites he's already used," JJ offers. "We can figure out the most likely sites based on the time of year and take those; get officers to flood the rest."

Hotch nods. "Good. You all figure that out. I'll go talk to Hale."

As he leaves everyone turns and looks at Reid. He chuckles. "Oh, sure, I come up with a creepy theory and it's 'Beware the Nerd Boy' but when you need a map dissected…"

The team grins as they move to the map to decide what locations the three FBI teams would take and which ones would have multiple police units covering them on Saturday.

* * *

After things had been decided, each member of the team had drifted out of the conference room. Except Reid. He was hung up on his researcher theory. He pulls out his phone and calls Garcia.

"Mistress of Gandalf, how may I assist you, my favorite giant Hobbit?"

Reid grins. "I need a search, Garcia. Maybe a couple of searches. Can you find out if any academic or even medical research doctors have been fired in the last 18-24 months in the Boise area? Also, can you see if the same type of person was maybe involved in a horrible, life-changing incident in the same time frame?"

"I can do both, Frodo. Will hit you back when I find the ring. Or in this case, rings."

Reid chuckles. "Garcia, out of curiosity, what's with the 'Lord of the Rings' obsession today?"

Garcia grins. "Stayed at Chateau Prentiss last night and found Emily's sci-fi stash. Watched the first part of the trilogy last night."

"Ah, okay." He gravels his voice. "I understand, Precious."

Garcia bursts out laughing. "AWESOME! I will so do your search even faster now."

"Thanks, Garcia."

He goes back to studying the boards. He jumps when a hand touches his shoulder.

"Easy, Reid." Emily says, staring into his eyes. "What's going on with you?"

Reid shrugs. "Just wishing we could figure out a real profile on this guy and- -"

"That's not what I meant. I know I've been a bit distracted lately but I can tell something is bothering you."

Reid stares at the wall, but is not seeing the murder boards in front of him. "Cindy got offered a promotion. She can lead her own team…in California."

"Oh, Reid," Emily says sympathetically.

He turns and looks at his friend. "If JJ got offered a promotion like that, something that you know would be the best thing for her, what would you do?"

"We'd discuss it and if it was the best thing for her and us, we'd do it."

He turns back to the wall. "And your career?"

Emily shrugs. "I'd transfer to another office or whatever worked for us."

"So you would move with her?"

Emily nods. "In a heartbeat."

Reid sighs. "And that's the problem." He turns and looks into Emily's eyes. "I'm not willing to move. What does that say about me?"

Emily opens her mouth a couple times before finding the words. "I…I don't know, Reid. I know you love her but, well, maybe she's not 'the one', you know? If she was you'd probably be packing your bags."

"And what does it mean that she wants to take the promotion even if I don't go with her?"

Emily squeezes his arm. "Same thing I just said about you."

"Yeah, I kind of thought so."

"Look, there's nothing that says you can't try for a long distance relationship."

He gives a half smile. "Want me to run down the statistics on how those go?"

Emily shakes her head. "No. Because someone, some couple, has to be the one that keeps them all from failing. Just think about that."

Reid nods. "Yeah. I will. Thanks, Emily."

She smiles. "Any time, Reid. Now, get out of this room for a while. Clear your scarily full head a little," she says, ruffling his hair.

Reid grins. "I'll try."

He leaves the room as JJ walks back in. She grabs his hand.

"Spence? You okay?"

He nods. "I will be. Emily will explain."

"Okay," she says worriedly, watching as he keeps walking. She looks at her wife. "If he called you by your first name it's personal."

Emily nods. "You can say that again." She tells JJ about Reid and Traina.

"Oh, poor Spence! I can't imagine what I would do in his shoes."

Emily smiles. "I told him we'd discuss it and if you getting a promotion was best for us that's what would happen."

JJ smiles. "And what if you're the one getting a promotion?"

"Your promotion was his example. Guess he thinks you're more promotable than I am."

JJ laughs and nods. "Well, he _is_ a genius."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "I'll remember that, Agent Jareau. Come on, I'll buy you a cup of coffee."

"You always know the way to my heart, Agent Prentiss."

Emily laughs and the two head out to get away from the case for a little while, hoping it will help them come up with a new angle to consider; an angle that could lead them to their unsub.


	8. Chapter 8

Nelson Donovan takes the newest picture off the printer. He strokes a finger down Emily's cheek.

"So pretty. I can see why he loves her."

"Me, too," he answers himself, his head tilted to the right.

His head tips back to the left. "They seem to have a familiarity that says they have been together longer than a few months."

"True," he says, his head back to the right. "It could skew the numbers a bit, especially if she can't answer. You'll need to use the right amount of rohipnol to get the answer from her. She's an FBI agent so she may be of stronger mind than the other subjects."

"Right. I'll make sure to note that in the research," he agrees with himself.

He prints out some more pictures, these close-ups of Morgan. Then he prints out a few of the two interacting in the park and at a diner. As he pulls up another image to center and make perfect he notices Emily's left hand.

"Oh, no…no, no, no…"

"You fool!" he screams, his head to the right.

He makes the image larger and sees it is, indeed, a wedding ring. He quickly scans through other images until he sees Morgan's hand. No ring.

His head still to the right, he starts to cuss himself. "You stupid shit! She's married! And not to him! How could you be so stupid? He could- -"

His head flips back to the left. "Wait! This could be a new aspect of the study! Think of it, brother! She is having an affair with him! She will know she's giving her life to science. Will it make her last longer to see images with her lover instead of her husband? And we can find out if she's married to a Caucasian man. It would be a whole new aspect of the study!" he says excitedly. "Think of the many new questions we will unlock with this portion of our work!"

He slowly rolls his head back to the right, contemplating the new information. Finally he nods. "Yes…yes, brother, I see what you mean. We can do this, Nelson. We can make the world a better place with our research. Everyone will know that to love at the time of death means a more peaceful transition to the afterlife. But are we ready to expand the study?"

His head flips back to the left. "Yes, Warren, I think we are. We have the room. We can even use different weekends for different parts of the study. It will mean many sleepless nights but we will be making the world a better place," he says, echoing his "brother."

Nelson prints out more pictures and carries them into the room they had used for the 11 women for whom the BAU is trying to find justice. He stands on the cot in the room and starts to tape them up on the ceiling. When he is done he smiles.

"What do you think, Warren?"

"I think it's time to prepare for the first specimen in our new study. Come on, brother, let's go come up with our thesis."

Nelson/Warren Donovan go back to their computer, this time to prepare the write up for their newest experiment in the transition to death.


	9. Chapter 9

When Emily and JJ return from dinner they have no idea they are being watched. They sit for a minute in the SUV.

"If we don't get him tomorrow we'll be back here next month," Emily says sadly.

JJ nods. "Yeah, we will." She takes her wife's hand. "Are you okay? You seem…better."

Emily smiles. "I am." She lifts their joined hands and kisses JJ's. "We have a support system for our children, talking to Henry just now I…I see that he misses us but he's okay. You didn't have that reassurance when you first got back to work. Do I hate leaving them? Yes. But I can because I know they are loved and safe and we are doing what we do to protect them and all the other Henry and Rocky's out there. Will I have breakdowns again? Sure. But with you and the team to support me I'll be fine."

JJ smiles. "I'm glad. I love you, Em."

They lean together, sharing a loving kiss over the armrest. They get out and make their way into the building, holding hands as they make their way inside.

* * *

"NELSON YOU IDIOT!" Warren screams as he smacks his brother.

"No! How could I know? She's a whore and a slut! How could I know that, Warren? She's cheating on her husband with a man AND a woman? It's…it's immoral! It's…how could I know?"

Warren's breathing is erratic he is so angry. He smacks his "brother" in the face twice. "She is going to fuck up the experiment because you chose a nasty whore!"

Nelson's voice quavers. "I…I didn't know. Maybe…maybe we can change the thesis and- -"

"NO!" He smacks "Nelson" again. "We can't keep changing the study to fit your screw ups! This is why you lost your job! You couldn't follow through." Warren glares into the rearview mirror, locking eyes with his "brother". "No, we forget the FBI agent. She is unworthy of being part of this study. We…we finish out the 12 women in the original study."

"And we ignore the new study?"

"No. We will perform that one, too, over a 12 month period. We just need to wait until this study is done. Once it's done and you get your old job back we can start Phase 2: Women Having Affairs."

Nelson nods submissively. "Right. Okay. Good idea, Warren. I still have the research on the other 2 potential subjects. Maybe we can go back and choose a new subject?"

"Yes. Let's go. And try not to screw up this time, Nelson."

"Yes, Warren. Of course."

When Nelson enters the building he is using as a laboratory he looks nervously around. "Warren?" When his brother doesn't answer he sighs in relief.

He goes to his computer and loads up the pictures he had taken of 2 women over the course of the month until Emily had taken his attention. He starts to read the notes he has made on both women and finally makes a choice. He spends an hour preparing the pictures that will make up the ceiling mural she will die staring at. He moves into the cold vault he has made the focal point of his research. He stares up at images of Emily and Morgan. He sneers.

"Stupid slut! Your husband would have thanked me for getting rid of you. Do you know what your carnal indiscretions have cost me? DO YOU?"

He leaps up on the cot his experiments lie on and starts to claw and rip at the photos on the ceiling. Finally they hang in tatters and he is out of breath. He steps off the cot.

"Warren…I need to clear my head. I didn't expect to be so angry. I need to make sure things are right. It has to be perfect or it could skew the data. I will be back soon, I promise."

He walks out of the vault, his eyes wild. He grabs his keys and goes to his favorite bar to try to get a handle on his emotions. Warren's anger at him had been justified but still hurt. He needed to get past it if he didn't want to mess up the experiment.

* * *

"Okay, my Ents of Victory, buckle-up because it's nearly 8 p.m. my time, I've missed time with my Godson and niece, and I've been in this dark little office since 7 a.m. my time while you all were still sleeping or, in the case of the Prentiss', perhaps doing other things."

"GARCIA!" JJ hollers, her face bright red as everyone else chuckles.

"Sorry. Monster wearing off. Anyway, I finished the search Reid asked for and I think I killed both orcs with one search. About 17 months ago a man named Warren Donovan was involved in a car accident on the way to visit his girlfriend. He spent 3 months in a coma before finally dying. His identical twin brother, Nelson, was by his side the entire time."

"Oh dear God…are we finally at the evil twin case?" Rossi asks, glancing at a grinning Reid.

"That was not revealed to me, Gandalf the Great," Garcia states. "But what _was_revealed to me is that Nelson lost his job at Boise State where he was a, hold onto your precious ring, Reid, researcher and professor in sociological studies. His last project was left unfinished so long all his work was determined to have been compromised and it was going to be scrapped. As you can imagine, that meant a lot of research money went up like the Two Towers. He didn't have tenure so he was kicked to the curb like an elf with a floppy ear.."

"Any idea what he's been doing since?"

"Well, he must not have liked the temperatures in Middle Earth so he is still in Boise. Used money from his brother's life insurance and a settlement with the car manufacturer to purchase an old convenience store."

The agents had listened to the analyst but had exchanged curious looks the more random things she had said. Emily finally leans forward.

"Garcia…what's with the Lord of the Rings imagery in your report?" she asks warily.

Garcia giggles. "Black trunk."

Emily blushes. "Son of a…is _nothing_ private?"

"Not when I'm bored and too hyped up on energy drinks to sleep. By the way, AWESOME Lt. Uhura costume, Emster. You were looking sexy!"

The entire team, JJ included, bursts out laughing. Emily gets even redder as she buries her face in her hands. "I so loathe you right now, Penelope. Loathe you in a way I never thought I could."

"So, anyway, my Keepers of the Elven Rings, I've sent you the address to his convenience store which has a rather high electricity bill for a store not in business. Now, I am off to watch the 'Two Towers' in the comfort of Chateau Prentiss. Arwen the Beautiful out!"

Hotch disconnects the line and everyone looks at Emily. The brunette shakes her head. "Hotch, you're going to need a new analyst because I'm going to kill her."

Hotch just grins. "Well, that can wait. Let's check out the address she sent us. Hopefully we can bring this to an end before woman number 12 is taken."

The team nods and gets ready to pay a visit to Nelson Donovan's store. Morgan knows he shouldn't, but he can't help it. He glances at Emily.

"Uhura? Short skirt and all?"

Emily turns and glares at him. "I will hurt you, Morgan. Don't think I won't."

He raises his hands in peace. "Okay, okay. Prefer my imagination anyway," he says with a grin as he darts out of the room before she can make good on her threat.

Emily turns to her wife. "Remind me to show Garcia I, too, can do things to get revenge."

JJ raises an eyebrow. "Remind me why I shouldn't be pissed I've never seen this picture."

Emily shakes her head. "You're not even a Trekkie, Jen. Why would you want to see it?"

JJ chuckles. "Seriously? Damn her skirt was short, baby. Like Morgan, I might prefer my imagination, too."

Emily just shakes her head as they make their way to the SUV to go investigate Nelson Donavan.


	10. Chapter 10

The team pulls up a block from the store. Hotch looks at his team.

"Morgan, Prentiss, I want you at the back doors. Rossi, JJ I want you with Reid and me. When we go in the front, you two go left, we'll go right."

The team nods. Morgan and Prentiss drive an SUV down an alley beside the store parking just out of side of the back door. Vests on, they make their way to the back door. Morgan frowns when they get there. He keys his mike.

"Hotch, there is a bar padlocked across this back door. No one is coming out this way."

"Copy. Remain there in case Donovan isn't here and returns."

"Got you."

He and Emily sigh, bummed they won't be inside the potential unsubs' lair.

"Should have brought a deck of cards," Emily jokes.

Morgan chuckles and nods as they find a place to conceal themselves in case Donovan isn't inside and returns via the back alley.

* * *

In front, Hotch tries the door and is surprised to find it open. He walks in and identifies himself.

"Mr. Donovan? This is Agent Hotchner of the FBI. We'd like to speak with you a moment."

He steps farther in and a familiar smell assaults his nose. As the others step in he sees they recognize it, too. He keys his mike.

"Morgan, Prentiss, there is a definite stench of decay in here. Keep your eyes open as it doesn't appear Donovan is here."

"Copy, Hotch," Emily answers.

The four agents pull their guns and silently start their search of the store. JJ and Rossi are moving along the old cold vault. JJ reaches out her hand and touches the glass doors, which have been painted black.

"Rossi," she whispers, "this freezer is on."

Rossi nods and they continue down towards the door stockers would have used to fill it. Rossi looks into the square window in the door and sees the room appears empty but for a cot in the middle of the floor. He opens the door and JJ steps in, clearing the blind corners of the room.

"Clear," she says. Then she looks up.

"Oh. My. God."

Rossi steps up beside her, also staring at the ceiling. "Holy shit."

* * *

Hotch and Reid had made their way into the back storage area. Hotch immediately moves to the computer as Reid goes towards the door leading into the other cold vault. He looks into the window of that door and blanches.

"Hotch…I found a control subject."

Hotch moves over beside Reid and sighs as he sees the woman lying on a cot in the freezer. Her body is completely frosted over.

"We need to get Hale down here. And we have two women we need to find and warn."

Reid looks at him. "How do you know?"

Hotch points to the computer screen. Reid walks over to it and sees the series of pictures of the two women out on dates, alone, at work. Reid shakes his head.

"We just need to warn one woman, Hotch. There's a folder titled 'Subject 12'. He's made his choice."

Hotch puts on a glove and uses the mouse to open the file. The folder is filled with pictures of a pretty blonde woman going about her life. He can tell some photos are cropped and edited pictures from the main file that includes the other woman.

"Hotch?" JJ's voice comes through their mikes.

"Yes, JJ?"

"We found where the women were killed. You need to see this."

"On my way. Reid, call Garcia. Get her hooked into this computer."

"Right." Reid plugs in an aircard and dials the analysts number, hoping she hasn't left for the day.

Hotch meets up with JJ and Rossi at the cold vault. "What do you have?"

"A nightmare," JJ answers pointing at the ceiling.

Hotch looks up. "Holy shit." The pictures of Emily and Morgan hang in tatters. "He was going to take Emily because she was with Morgan?"

"Looks like. But something made him change his mind and he obviously wasn't too happy about it," Rossi states.

Hotch keys his mike. "Prentiss, the unsub had targeted you. Keep your eyes open."

"ME? Why the hell did he focus on me?"

Reid's voice jumps in. "Because he thought you were married to a man but having an affair with Morgan. You were going to be the control subject for his next experiment. It's all here on the computer."

Emily stares at Morgan. "Who the fuck is this guy and how did he decide I was married and having an affair?"

"Based on the pictures I'm seeing he saw you two at a couple of the abduction sites and for whatever reason he turned his focus on you. He's got hundreds of documents on here. Even though the building was open we may want to get a warrant before we go much farther, Hotch," Reid relays from Garcia.

Hotch nods. "Agreed. Let's lock this place down and wait for Hale to get here. The dead woman alone is enough to get a warrant."

"Dead woman?" JJ says in shock.

"In the freezer vault. Most likely his control subject."

JJ sighs. "There are always 2 control subjects. That smell? I bet one woman isn't frozen for comparison's sakes."

Rossi groans. "That is most likely true. Sick but true."

"Okay, Rossi, JJ go around back and wait with Morgan and Emily just to be safe. Reid and I will hang up here to wait for Hale and backup."

JJ doesn't have to be told twice. She and Rossi hurriedly make their way to the alley to meet up with Morgan and Emily. As they walk, JJ sees a car pause near the driveway of the parking lot.

"Rossi, look," she points at it.

It suddenly cuts hard to the left and accelerates past the store lot. JJ takes off at a run towards it. Rossi follows as fast as he can but she soon outdistances him. She gets to the road in time to see the car get hung up behind another car at the corner traffic light. She runs towards it.

"FBI! STOP!"

The car pops up onto the sidewalk, nearly taking out two pedestrians as it runs the light. By the time JJ reaches the corner, it is too far away to make out the driver.

"Son of a bitch!" she says, kicking the street sign pole.

Rossi catches up to her. "Make? Plate?"

"Olds Cutlass. First part of the plate is Delta Lima Tango."

"An Olds makes the car pretty old. Hopefully you have enough for Hale to see if it's Donovan's."

"Hopefully."

The two make their way back to the store parking lot. Rossi breaks off to let Hotch know about the car. JJ continues on back to her wife and Morgan.

"Hey," she says as she comes around the corner.

Emily stares at her wife. "What the hell was in there, Jen?"

JJ sighs and tells the two agents about the cold vault ceiling. "That was rage, Em. He was pissed that you screwed up his experiment."

Emily grins. "Remind me to apologize when we bust his ass."

JJ chuckles. "You'll excuse me if I don't."

Emily shakes her head. "So he thinks I'm married to someone but having an affair with Morgan. Even if he saw us out looking at crime scenes where would he have come up with this background for me?"

"Well, you and Morgan joke, laugh, touch. To an outsider, someone looking to see something, he may have misread your friendship as something more," JJ points out.

Morgan nods. "And if he saw your wedding ring and my lack of one, instant affair."

Emily nods. "Okay. Then if that was reasonable for his so-called study why was it suddenly so bad he tore up the pictures the way Jen described?"

JJ shrugs. "I have no idea. But it worries me. Maybe he'll go after a different number 12 or maybe he'll still go after you."

"Well, if he comes after me we'll be ready. I know you all will have my back. I'm more concerned with him going after someone else. She won't have you all watching over her."

"She might. There are pictures on the computer. As soon as Hale gets here with a warrant Hotch is unleashing Garcia on it. Hopefully we'll have her identity in time to protect her."

Morgan sighs. "Yeah."


	11. Chapter 11

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Nelson Donovan kicks over a trashcan. He lifts another and throws it down the alley. He punts the lid of one into the brick wall of the building beside him as he collapses against the other wall.

"They ruined it! They ruined it, Warren! What the fuck do I do now? How do I get my job back now that they've ruined the experiment?"

His head twitches. "Calm down, you insufferable twit! Why the hell did the sniveling twin live anyway? Fucking pathetic."

"I'm NOT pathetic! I'm NOT! I just need help, Warren! I need to know what to do," Nelson whines.

"You know what to do. FINISH the experiment, Nelson. For once in your miserable life FINISH something!"

"But the agent is a whore. I can't take her. And they will know the other two choices. Warren, they have EVERYTHING!"

"Damn it, Nelson, if you finish the whole study they will see it was necessary. They will see that what you were aiming to prove is something that will be comfort to millions. You can show that when people die staring at happy images, images of love they crossover much calmer than if they stare at nothing but a blank fucking ceiling. Do you know how hard it was for me to have nothing to look at, how hopeless it made me feel? Now you can take what I've taught you since my death and make life better for so many. Just pull yourself together and FINISH the study."

Nelson takes a few deep breaths. He slowly stands. "Right. Finish the study. I can do that, Warren. You'll be proud of me. I can do it."

He goes to his car and pulls out his camera. He starts to scroll through the photos he had taken. He stops on one of JJ. He manipulates it a bit until he sees her ring.

"Another cheating whore, Warren. Must be the job. We shouldn't study cops."

"You're right, brother."

Nelson continues to manipulate the camera. "What about her? I never had a chance to load her information onto the computer but I guess I can do that later."

"Very good, Nelson. Go. Watch her tonight. Take her tomorrow and figure out a way to complete the study."

Nelson nods. "Okay. I won't let you down again, Warren. I promise."

"I know you won't."

Nelson gets in his car and drives to a place where he can watch his new subject until it is time to take her tomorrow. Luckily everything he needs to bring her into the study is in the car. If all goes well he can complete the study and show the FBI that their interference was not necessary.

* * *

An hour later he is snapping pictures of a young waitress that had caught his eye at the beginning of the month. At first Nelson had dismissed her as being too young to be part of his study. But desperate times call for desperate measures, they say.

Nelson is overjoyed to see the young man he had initially seen with the waitress meet up with her as she gets off work. He takes pictures of their warm hello, including a sweet kiss. They walk off hand in hand to his car, where he opens the door for her. So many wonderful pictures in just a few minutes.

He follows them to a late dinner, to a movie, and finally to her house where the boyfriend goes in with her. Nelson sighs. He would have preferred they not have sex but, again, desperate times and all.

He is aware enough to know that the police will be looking for him. He hopes the blonde cop didn't see his car close enough to get a description out to the locals. But he needed to make sure he can complete his study. He drives his car to the university and parks it in one of the many student lots. At the most campus police would ticket it for not having a proper student tag.

He pulls out a satchel and wheelchair out of the trunk, along with a blanket. He catches a cab back to the waitress' neighborhood. When the time comes, he would just use her car.

Now…where could he take her now that the police would have destroyed his lab…


	12. Chapter 12

JJ hangs up and looks at Hotch. "Garcia has identified the two women. Police are on their way to bring them in so we can ask them about any stalkers or anything that might have had them concerned over the last few weeks."

"Good. Any word on his car?"

"Not yet. A car that old could stand out but it's also a common looking sedan and for that reason may not."

Hotch nods. "True." He thinks a minute. "Make sure campus police are looking for it. A crowded student lot would be a good place to conceal it; maybe to even pick up a new vehicle."

JJ nods. "Gotcha. I'll make the call myself." She glances into the conference room where Reid and Emily are pouring over mountains of data as Garcia is trolling through it on her end. "How's the nerd patrol doing?" she asks.

Hotch chuckles. "Last time I was in there those two were speaking EmiReid and Garcia was threatening her computers with incineration if they didn't get her the information she needs sooner rather than later."

JJ chuckles. "Yeah, sounds about right. Do you think it will be in time?"

"We have both the targets in protective custody. We'll be fine," Hotch says reassuringly. "I've sent Rossi and Morgan to speak with Donovan's department head at Boise State. Maybe they can get better insight into this guy and what he's trying to do."

"Good." JJ looks at him. "This man adapts quickly, Hotch. He wanted Emily and the day before changed targets. These were two he did extensive work on before dropping them. What if there are others that he didn't research as heavily? Ones he knows we wouldn't look at since he didn't put them in the study files?"

Hotch stiffens. "Damn it. How are your computer skills?"

JJ shrugs. "Good enough to look at pictures."

"Then do it. I'll call the campus police."

JJ nods and heads into the conference room to start looking at all the pictures Donovan had taken of women he deemed unworthy of the study for reasons only he would understand.

Emily looks up. "What are you doing, Jen?"

"Covering all bases. Going to see if there are pictures of women who weren't picked for the study. With you no longer being part of the lab rat pool and his other 2 potential victims in protective custody he may have to resort to a woman he had eliminated earlier."

Emily nods. "Good point. Good luck."

"Thanks."

JJ has not been working long before Reid looks at Emily.

"Postulate 79."

Emily nods. "Success at 83."

"Installation?"

"Control."

"Segmentation."

"Agreed."

As they go back to what they were doing JJ looks at them and starts to giggle. She shakes her head at the 'EmiReid' exchange only they could understand. "You two are so freaking cute."

Emily and Reid exchange a look, clueless as to what had amused the blonde profiler.

* * *

Morgan extends his hand. "Dr. Erikson? I'm SSA Derek Morgan, this is SSA David Rossi with the FBI. Thank you for meeting us so late on a Friday."

Dr. Lisa Erikson shakes his hands. "Your boss made me understand time was of the essence. What exactly has Nelson done?" She gestures to a seating area in her office.

Rossi sits on the edge of the couch. "We believe he may be responsible for the deaths of 13 women over the last year. It's possible he is using their deaths in some sort of study on death. Does any of this sound familiar to you?"

Erikson sighs and nods. "I was afraid of this. Understand Nelson Donovan was a brilliant researcher…to a point. But he had a hard time following a study through to the end. He'd always get hooked on a tangent that would take him away from the research before it was completed. Then about 2 years ago his twin brother was in an accident. He completely abandoned his job and his research to stay beside him." She crosses her hands, leaning forward. "Agents, we were not unsympathetic to what happened. We truly gave him as much time as possible to recover. We understand the death of a sibling can be terrible. The death of a twin can be crippling."

Morgan nods. "But something made you dismiss him?"

"Yes. It was…let me see if I have it." She moves to a filing cabinet and starts to flip through some folders. "Yes, here it is." She brings the file over and hands it to Morgan. "When he got back to work he was having a hard time teaching. He'd walk out in the middle of a lecture, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. He kept saying that his brother was coaching him from beyond on a study that had to be done. I gave him a two week leave to write up the study, hoping it would…I don't know, settle him." She nods towards the folder. "That scared me. I knew then he had lost the ability to function at this university."

Morgan opens the folder and reads the title page of the proposed study. "Giving Comfort to the Dying to Ease Their Transition to the Other Side." He looks up at Erikson. "Sounds innocent enough."

"Page 3 has his study needs," she explains.

Morgan flips to Page 3. Rossi reads over his shoulder and both agents frown. Morgan looks up at Erikson.

"He was serious?"

"Yes. Another professor and I tried to talk to him, to explain why he couldn't go through with this study. He felt we were trying to stifle him and steal his idea. We suggested he get help from a psychiatrist to deal with this grief. Nelson was a weak man, Agent Morgan. He was a typical 'nerd' to be exact. I swear, I didn't think he had it in him to actually go through with this study."

Rossi sighs. "Unfortunately he did. Tell me, what was his brother like?"

Erikson frowns in thought. "I only met him twice. Both times I get the feeling he was a bully and that he spent a lot of time degrading his brother. Don't get me wrong, Warren was a smart man but he was still a bully."

Rossi nods. "I see. So Nelson should have been relieved his brother was dead."

Erikson nods. "You would think. But, being as they are twins, a lot of what you know about sibling interactions are thrown out the window. It's possible Nelson truly feels he can't live without his brother. He may even feel guilty that he was too weak to save Warren."

"And that guilt, coupled with losing his position here, forced him to go ahead with his experiment on his own. He had to prove to the world that he was a good brother," Rossi finishes.

Morgan nods. "Sounds right." He looks at Erikson. "Do you mind if we keep this?" he asks about the study proposal.

She shakes her head. "Go ahead. And, agents, when you capture him, keep in mind he was a good man just…just destroyed by grief."

Morgan nods. "We'll remember. Thank you for your time."

The two agents leave and make their way back to the precinct. As Morgan drives, Rossi shakes his head as he rereads page 3.

"I don't know what scares me more: the fact that he wanted people to volunteer to die for his study or the fact that he might have actually _had_ some volunteers for his study."

Morgan shakes his head. "I was just thinking the same damn thing."

* * *

It is nearly 3 a.m. when Emily finally stands up. "This guy is one sick, sad scientist."

Reid nods, stretching. "I concur. To kill so many to prove that staring at happy images makes the transition to death easier is pointless. Not to mention, how do you really prove it was an easier transition than they would have had if they had lived their life and died naturally?"

Emily shakes her head. "You don't. But in his mind he was proving it 100% of the time so far."

Reid looks over at her. "Glad you didn't make it 12 for 12 for him."

Emily smiles and nods. "Me, too."

Reid looks at his watch. "So, now that we know all we can know from this, let's go get a few hours sleep. Hopefully one of the women JJ found will be his next target and we can stop him before he gets her."

"Hopefully. But the fact that we never found his camera makes me worried that there could be more women out there we don't know." She runs her hands over her face. "How do we save them all?"

Reid suddenly sits up straight. "What if we offered to give his research back?"

Emily stares at him. "What?"

"What if we put out a press statement saying we wanted to give him back the research now that we're done with it. We see that it is simply an academic study and we won't need it for our case. Hell, I'm so tired I can barely think but I'm sure JJ and Hotch can figure out how to sell it to Donovan."

"It's brilliant, Reid! And it may be the only way to get this guy to come to us before he tries to finish his so called research." She stifles a yawn. "Let's get back to the hotel and get a couple hours of sleep. We can send an email to Hotch and JJ in case they get up before us."

"Right. I'll email. You drive."

Emily chuckles. "Good plan."

* * *

JJ opens a tired eye and sees it is 3:22 when her wife walks into the hotel room.

Emily peels off her clothes as she walks to the bathroom by the light of her phone. She rinses her mouth out with Scope, runs a washcloth over her face. She makes her way to the bed, plugs in her phone and cuddles up to her wife.

JJ kisses her. "I was worried you two wouldn't get back here."

"I needed to hold you, Jen. And, more important, I knew after what you saw today you needed me."

JJ smiles and nods. "Yeah, I did," she says. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Prentiss."

They share one more kiss before they both slip off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

"…as a result of our study, we would like to return the research we took to Mr. Donovan. If anyone has seen him, please ask him to contact me at the number below so we can arrange the exchange. Thank you," Hotch says as he finishes the news brief.

He walks into the precinct and makes his way to the conference room. Detective Hale meets him there.

"Will it work?"

Hotch sighs. "I hope so. But we're not just going to sit around here and hope." He walks into the room and looks at his team. "So, what do we have?"

"We have 4 new women we have put into protective custody," JJ responds. "But, as Emily pointed out, since we never found his camera there could be others on there he had not downloaded to the computer yet."

"At least with the press conference this morning we have women on alert," Rossi points out. "And once we get out to the abduction sites maybe we can make sure his comfort zones are covered."

Hotch nods. "Okay, does everyone have their assignments?" The team nods. "Okay. I'll be here in case he comes in instead of calls. The rest of you be on the lookout. He may not have seen the conference or he may need to take his next subject before he retrieves his work. This ends today."

The team nods in agreement. Morgan and Prentiss head back to Ann Morrison Park. Due to the size of the park, there would be a total of 12 extra officers deployed throughout in case the unsub struck there for the third time.

Rossi and JJ make their way to an area of the city with several café's and a movie theatre. This was the other location from which 2 women disappeared. Six extra officers patrolled the area.

Reid and Hale go to what the genius had determined would be the best third option, a smaller park called Ivywild. They have 4 extra officers to help them.

The rest of the force, as well as members of an auxiliary unit Hotch had brought in from the FBI help patrol the other abduction sites. As long as Donovan didn't choose another abduction site he would have a hard time getting away with another woman.

* * *

Nelson sips a soda as he finishes a bag of chips from the vending machine. It wasn't the best breakfast but it's all the cheap motel he was staying in had to offer. He is watching the morning news when it breaks to the live news conference with Aaron Hotchner. He leaps up in excitement.

"Warren! Did you hear? They understand! They are giving me everything back. I can take her to the store and- -"

"IDIOT! It's a trap! And you are so stupid you would have walked right into it. How the hell you ever managed to remember to feed yourself I'll never know."

"But…but the FBI wouldn't lie."

Warren smacks his brother. "Fool! Listen to me: if you go, they will arrest you and you will not complete the study. Don't let me down, brother. Finish the study and let me rest in peace."

Nelson gently rubs is stinging cheek, which is bruised and swollen from the beating Warren gave him the day before. "If you're sure…"

Nelson can't help but think the FBI wouldn't lie to him but he doesn't want to risk another beating from Warren. He checks his watch and sees it is time to go. He still had to figure out where to take his final subject once he has her. Time to go intercept her on her jog through Ivywild Park.

* * *

Reid looks up at the snow gently falling from the sky. "Maybe there won't be as many people out since it's snowing."

Hale chuckles. "It's Boise in winter, Dr. Reid. It's not a deterrent. Trust me."

Reid nods. "Ah. Right."

As they pass by the pool house, they see something that catches Reid's eyes in a stand of trees.

"Ever known someone to forget their wheelchair?"

Hale follows his line of sight and shakes his head. "Nope. But it could be a college prank thing. You know, stole it to play with it and just left it here."

"Maybe. Let's check it out to be sure."

Hale nods and follows Reid over to the chair. Reid pulls off his glove and touches it. "Warm. It's hasn't been out here long."

Hale glances around. "Okay, now it's officially strange."

Reid stands. "We wondered how he takes his victims. Maybe he drugs them, gets them in the chair, and wheels them out. Anyone watching would think it's a guy out with someone with a disability. They'd admire him versus suspect him of anything."

"Shit. Could be. Let's get where we can watch this unseen."

The agent and detective move back towards the pool house, concealing themselves in the shadows of another couple of trees. Hale radios the police in the park to be vigilant as Reid contacts Hotch to have him let the other two teams know there is strong lead at Ivywild.

* * *

Nelson hadn't noticed the unusual number of cops in Ivywild Park that day. All he is concerned about is taking the waitress so he can complete his experiment by Monday. Once he has her information he can then do his best to recreate all his other data since Warren could be right about the FBI.

He suddenly straightens up as he sees the object of his desire jogging towards him. He steps out onto the path and fakes falling over. As expected, she stops to help him.

"Whoa! You okay?"

He smiles at her. "Fine. Thanks."

As she helps him up he brings up a small spray bottle and squirts it into her face. She is shocked but he is able to pump the bottle 3 times before she starts to pull away. By then her eyes are going glassy. She opens her mouth to scream but is not able to. He takes her arm and starts to lead her back to the waiting wheelchair.

"Hale…look," Reid says, drawing Hale's attention back to the left.

Hale frowns at the man escorting a wobbly woman towards the chair. "Is it Nelson?"

"Can't tell from here. Let's go see what's going on."

Nelson eases Betsy Dinardo down into the wheelchair. He pulls the knee blanket out of his backpack and tucks it in around her legs. He pulls her hat down farther on her head, slightly concealing her face. He then wraps her neck and lower face in a scarf, further concealing her identity. Suddenly he senses people approaching and starts into a practiced spiel.

"There we go, Miranda. You did very well today. You were able to walk farther than yesterday. Must be the pretty snow," he says happily. He steps behind the chair and acts as if he's just noticed the two men walking up to him. "Oh, hi. Nice day for a walk, isn't it? My niece has MS and we have to make sure she gets some exercise and fresh air."

Reid places a hand on Hale's arm to stop the man from responding to Nelson Donovan. Reid smiles. "That's great. Not many people would be out on a day like today." He kneels down in front of the woman, immediately smelling a chemical stew. "You are a lucky lady to have such a wonderful uncle." He studies her eyes. They show fear and drugs. He slowly stands, glaring at Donovan. "Back off, Mr. Donovan. Your study is over."

Nelson's eyes get wide. "I…I'm not…who do you think…I am…"

His head twitches. "YOU IDIOT! YOU WALKED RIGHT INTO A TRAP!"

His head tilts again. "NO! Warren, I didn't! I swear I didn't!"

Hale is stunned as the man starts to have an argument with himself. Reid had been up close and personal with this sort of psychotic personality break.

"Fuck…it's Hankel all over," he mutters. "Warren, your brother didn't walk into a trap. Please, calm down. Nelson just got unlucky."

"LIAR!" 'Warren' screams at Reid. "He's always been a worthless idiot! He could never do anything right! Do you know how many times I've had to bail his pathetic ass out of a bad situation?"

Reid nods. "I'm sure many times. But today you don't need to bail him out. He'll be fine we just need to get him away from this woman and speak to him about his study. It's brilliant and we want to make sure he completes it."

Warren frowns. "Why should we step away from her?"

"You wouldn't want her to have inside information on the experiment. It would skew her true response and would make it ineligible for use in the final analysis."

Hale watches in wonder as the lanky agent seems to be getting through to the crazed killer…or is it killers, plural?

Warren finally nods. "Point taken. Damn good thing you were here to cover Nelson's ass."

Warren steps away from the wheelchair. Hale immediately steps so that his body is between Donovan and his victim. Reid walks a few steps away with Donovan. As they get near the tree line, Donovan smiles cruelly.

"You're as big an idiot as my brother."

He pulls a gun and fires before disappearing into the trees. Hale is screaming into his radio.

"OFFICER DOWN! OFFICER DOWN! SUSPECT ARMED AND DANGEROUS!"

He runs over to Reid, placing a hand on his chest as his gun remains trained on the tree line.

"Hang in there, Dr. Reid. Help will be here soon. Hang in there."


	14. Chapter 14

Emily rubs her arms, knocking the snow off herself before it soaks in. She sighs. "This park is too damn big with too many places he could conceal himself and his captive if he needs to."

Morgan nods. "I know. We can only hope he makes a move soon or we're going to have to start giving the officers breaks. It's too damn cold and the snow is getting too thick to keep them out here much longer without rest and something warm to drink."

Emily nods and chuckles. "True. Think anyone will care about us freezing to death?"

Morgan grins. "Of course not. That's why we get paid the big bucks."

Emily laughs. "Right. I forgot."

It is just after 12:15 when Hotch calls Morgan. "Hey, Hotch. We need to start- -" Morgan's words choke off. "WHAT?"

Emily turns to him, alerted by his tone that something very bad has happened.

"Shit," Morgan whispers. "Is he okay?" He listens. "What hospital?" He shakes his head in frustration. "Damn it. Okay. Yeah, we'll find Hale and get with the search in that area. Let us know if anything changes for Reid." He hangs up and slams his phone into his pocket.

"What the hell happened to Reid?" Emily asks.

* * *

JJ and Rossi are eyeing a couple drinking steaming cups of coffee with envy when they see a man grab a woman. She yelps in surprise. They race at them.

"FBI! FREEZE!" JJ yells.

The man and the woman leap apart in fear, their hands raised, eyes wide. Rossi immediately knows they made a mistake.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" he asks.

She nods vigorously. "Yes. He just startled me. He's my boyfriend."

He nods. "I was early. Thought I'd scare her. I swear!"

JJ and Rossi holster their guns. Rossi nods. "Sorry. Did you all see the news this morning?"

The man nods. "Yeah. Stupid of me, I guess, knowing the police would be on alert. I'm really sorry, officers. You're not going to arrest me for being an idiot, are you?" he asks nervously.

JJ grins. "No, we're not. Enjoy your day."

The couple nods and hurries off. JJ looks at Rossi and grins.

"Figures it wouldn't be this easy," she says, scanning the sparse crowds once more.

"Right," Rossi agrees as he answers his phone. "Please tell me someone caught this bastard, Hotch." He listens, visibly paling. "Is he okay?" JJ's head whips back around. "Okay, we'll head that way. I'll fill JJ in on the way." He hangs up and starts to walk.

"Fill me in on what?" JJ asks, falling into step beside him.

"Reid and Hale caught the bastard red-handed. He's on a psychotic break and spends half the time thinking he's his brother."

"Oh, shit. Like Hankel," JJ murmurs.

Rossi continues, having heard about Hankel and understanding. "Reid talked him away from the victim but the guy pulled a gun and shot Reid pointblank in the chest."

"OH MY GOD!" JJ blurts. "Is Spencer okay?"

"Vest stopped the shot but put a hematoma right over his heart and cracked his sternum. He should be okay. Hale is coordinating a grid search of the area around Ivywild Park to track this bastard down. Morgan and Emily are already on their way."

JJ nods, her heart worried for Reid but knowing she had to focus that fear and anger into finding Donovan before he can make a try for another woman.

* * *

Nelson/Warren pace in agitation. They had found an empty house with an enclosed deck in the back and had used it to hide from the police pursuing them.

"You IDIOT!" Warren screams. "Thank God the snow wasn't thick enough to leave our tracks since you were too stupid to avoid being seen. You are so fucking incompetent!"

Nelson spins around. "ME?! You're the one that shot a cop! What the hell were you thinking?"

Warren grabs his brother by the collar and slams him into the wall of the house. "You took her right in front of them, you sniveling asshole! I had to step in to save your miserable life!"

Nelson grabs the hand at his throat, for once in his life standing up to his brother. "NO! I did what I had to do to complete the experiment. They were believing me about her being my niece until you stepped in and- -"

"YOU FOOL! They didn't believe a damn thing! You ignorant son of a bitch! I should have consumed you in the womb and spared the world of you!"

Nelson can't stop the tears. He hates when he disappoints his brother. "I'm…I'm sorry, Warren. So sorry. Please don't say you wish I wasn't born. Please!"

"Pathetic cry baby. Nothing has changed in 41 years. Shut the hell up and let me figure out how to get us out of this damn mess."

Nelson just nods as Warren finally releases his shirt and starts to pace, wondering how to get the "two" of them out of this mess.

* * *

Hale spreads a map out on the hood of one of the police cars. He points to the area they are in.

"I already have officers out going street to street looking for signs of Donovan or of 2 cars that were reported stolen at the university last night. Donovan's car was found in the same lot as the two cars so it's possible he stole one."

"True," Emily agrees. "Do you know if anyone has checked with bus or taxi services to be sure? He may have had the chair with him. That would be memorable."

Hale shakes his head. "Hadn't thought of that. Just figured he stole a car. I'll get an officer calling around."

"Okay. Where do you want us?" Morgan asks.

Hale sighs. "I have no fucking clue."

Before he can say any more, Rossi and JJ pull up. Emily and JJ can't help but glance over each other, confirming their wife is okay.

"Any word on Spence?" JJ asks as they walk up.

"Nothing new. Hotch is on his way to see him," Morgan states.

"Good. He shouldn't be alone," Rossi says.

JJ looks at the map. "So, where are we going?"

Morgan, Rossi and JJ turn to look at Emily, who is studying the map. She senses the scrutiny and looks up.

"What?"

"You and Reid pretty much share a brain, Princess," Morgan points out. "Where would he send us?"

Emily frowns and looks at the other two, who nod their agreement with Morgan. She shakes her head and decides to give it a try. She stares at the map.

"Okay…if I was Reid what would I be looking for…a place to hide." She draws her fingers over the map. It was a residential neighborhood. She looks at Hale. "Make sure they officers are checking backyards for open sheds, porches, any place he could lie low."

Hale nods. "Will do." He pulls his radio to pass on that order.

Emily looks back at the map. Finally she points to a mini-mall not far away.

"Look. There would be cars to steal or buses to catch. If I was Donovan, I'd go there. I still have to finish my study." She looks up at the others. "I could also potentially find my twelfth subject."

The other agents nod and head to their SUV's.

* * *

Warren is still trying to figure out how to get himself and his brother out of this mess when he hears the 6' privacy gate latch rattle. He eases out of the porch and places himself behind the gate. It swings open carefully and a young officer sticks his head into the backyard.

Warren clubs him upside the head with the butt of his gun. The officer is stunned but not out. He raises his hand to fight back but Warren pulls out the spray bottle in his pocket and gets off 2 bursts right into the officers face. As the officer starts to fall, Warren pulls him all the way into the back yard and quickly strips off his uniform. It was going to be a little tight but it would do.

He pulls the officer's duty cap down low and heads out of the backyard. An officer across the street is coming out of another yard. The woman raises an arm and waves.

"Clear," she calls out.

Warren waves the same hand. "Clear," he responds and acts as if he's moving to the next house. As soon as the female officer has gone behind the next house Warren jogs back to the police car at the end of the block. He hops in and is soon heading away from the neighborhood.

* * *

Emily frowns as a police car pulls out of a road just ahead of her and Morgan. "Did Hale say any officers were going to be pulled from this area?"

"Just the opposite: more are being called in," he replies.

Emily pulls her phone and calls JJ. "Jen, a cop car just pulled out in front of us. Something isn't right."

JJ nods. "I agree. Stay with it. Rossi and I will head to the mini-mall just in case. And, Em, be careful."

Emily smiles. "Always, Mrs. Prentiss."

JJ grins and hangs up, relating to Rossi what has caught the suspicion of Emily and Morgan.

In their SUV, Emily and Morgan follow the police car past the mini-mall Emily had pointed out. After 10 minutes they are pulling onto the campus of Boise State.

"Dumping the car," Morgan guesses.

"Most likely. I'll call campus police and have them give us some back up."

Morgan nods.

* * *

Warren pulls the car into a parking space in the same lot Nelson had used the day before. He gets out and starts moving car to car, looking for one that is unlocked. He hadn't noticed the black SUV that had pulled up at the end of the row or the two agents that had eased out and moved towards him.

"NELSON DONOVAN! FBI! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" Morgan yells his gun trained on the man.

Warren looks up, his face a mask of fury. "NO!" He turns to run and sees Emily, her gun also leveled at him. "YOU! You SLUT! You ruined EVERYTHING!"

"Put your hands in the air, Mr. Donovan," Emily says calmly. "Your experiments are over."

Two campus police cruisers pull into the lot, their officers quickly joining the agents. Warren Donovan looks around and realizes there is no place to run. He grins…and Morgan and Emily sigh.

"Serves my bastard brother right," Warren says as he quickly lifts his gun, getting off one shot before Emily and Morgan fire.

The 2 agents and 2 cops close in. Emily kicks the handgun away and kneels down. She is surprised when Donovan's head slowly turns and looks up at her.

"You killed him for good. He can't hurt me anymore," he whispers, blood trickling out of the side of his mouth.

Emily nods. "You're right, he can't. Hang on, Nelson, an ambulance is on the way."

"I didn't know you were having an affair. I hope it doesn't cause problems for you. That wasn't the intention of the study."

Emily manages a smile. "I wasn't having an affair. I am faithful to my spouse. Morgan is just my best friend as well as teammate."

Nelson sighs. "Then…you would…have…been…per..fect…"

His head lolls to the side as his final breath leaves him. Emily shakes her head.

"Gee…lucky me," she whispers. She stands. "Cancel the ambulance. We just need the coroner."


	15. Chapter 15

Reid winces as he tries to find a comfortable position. "I'm…fine. Just…hurts like…hell." He finally settles in a way to ease pressure on his chest.

Hotch grins and pats his leg. "I know."

Reid manages a smile. "I think it actually hurts worse than when I got shot in the leg."

Hotch chuckles. "Probably does."

"Is the woman okay?"

Hotch nods. "She'll be fine. She was dosed with rohipnol. Garcia is combing through Donovan's computer to see if she can find the exact recipe he used so the doctors can properly treat her. A cop was also dosed with it to give Donovan a chance to get away."

"Did we catch him?"

"Yeah. Morgan and Prentiss got him at Boise State where he was dumping the patrol car. He's dead."

Reid winces. "Probably a good thing for him. He would have never been himself again. His 'brother' would have always been in there. Just like Tobias Hankel and his father."

Hotch nods. "We know."

The door to Reid's room opens, admitting Rossi and JJ. JJ hurries over and takes his hand.

"Spence? You okay?"

He smiles. "Fine. Just sore."

"Thank, God," she says, squeezing his hand.

Rossi pats his leg. "Damn good job getting Donovan away from Betsy Dinardo. Hale said if you hadn't there most likely would have been a hostage situation or he'd have killed her to get the attention off of himself."

Reid blushes. "Just doing the job. Though I do kind of wish it had been someone else there," he says, rubbing a hand over the bandages on his chest with a grin.

Rossi chuckles. "Don't blame you there, kid."

The door opens once more, this time it's Morgan and Hale. JJ frowns.

"Where's Emily?"

"It was determined her gun fired the fatal shot. She just has to answer a few questions before coming up."

Hale nods. "Don't worry. It was a good shoot. This is just paperwork bullshit."

JJ swallows, remembering when "paperwork bullshit" had turned into a political nightmare in Dallas. "Right. We'll see."

The others nods, all knowing exactly what she's thinking about. Twenty minutes later, Emily enters the room.

"Hey, Reid. How you doing?"

He smiles. "I'm good. And you?"

Emily wraps an arm around JJ's shoulder. "Already cleared. Morgan, two campus cops, and security video all show it was a good shot. Oh, and this helped." She holds up her arm and shows the hole in her jacket.

JJ's eyes get wide. "HOLY FUCK! Is that a bullet hole?"

"Yep. He got off one shot."

JJ rubs her face. "Holy crap. Between you and Spence I'm going to be gray before I'm 40."

Emily chuckles and pulls her close. "I'm fine. And Reid will be, too."

"Sure, you say that now," JJ says as everyone chuckles.

* * *

Because of the snowstorm it will be Sunday at the earliest before the team can leave. This works well for Reid who has to stay at least one night in the hospital to keep an eye on the swelling around his heart.

After a good dinner, the rest of the team goes back to the hotel for the night. As they enter their hotel room, Emily looks at JJ.

"So, should we- -"

She can't complete her sentence since her wife has shoved her against the wall and is giving her throat a massage with her tongue. Emily just moans as JJ's hands grip the brunette's ass, squeezing the toned muscles below them. When the kiss ends, Emily's knees are weak.

"Damn, Jen," she says huskily.

JJ shoves her wife's coat off and pulls the black sweater below it up and off. Emily moans as JJ bites her breast through the turtleneck she still wears as the smaller woman's hands go to the belt of Emily's pants. Almost before she can believe it, Emily is naked and being pushed towards the bed. JJ has still not said a word.

The back of Emily's knees hits the bed and she sits down on it. JJ grabs her wife's face, her eyes nearly black with desire.

"Mine," she states.

Emily, her hands stroking up JJ's jeans-clad thighs turns to kiss one of the palms on her cheeks. "I love you, Jennifer Prentiss."

JJ steps back and starts to strip, pushing away Emily's hands as the brunette tries to help. Once naked, JJ steps back to her wife and offers her breast to Emily's hungry mouth. Tangling her fingers in dark locks, JJ moans as Emily feasts, her mouth moving back and forth between the two perfect peaks in front of her.

Finally JJ pushes her wife's head away and drops down to her knees. Her mouth now lavishes attention on her wife's dusky nipples. Emily's hips thrust forward. She nearly screams as they are met by JJ's hand. The unexpected penetration of two fingers nearly makes the older women come immediately.

"Oh, Jen! Please, baby. More. Need. More."

JJ's mouth keeps working her wife's chest as she adds a third finger…then a fourth…Emily moans, knowing what's coming next. JJ looks up at her wife.

"Mine," she reaffirms…as she thrusts her whole hand into her wife.

Emily falls back onto the bed, her hips rocking up and down in time with JJ's deep thrusts. JJ brings her mouth down and sucks Emily's clit into her mouth, sending the woman over into a screaming orgasm.

JJ doesn't stop. In her mind she can see the torn pictures of her wife, she can imagine her wife slowly dying in that freezer, she can see the bullet hole in the arm of the coat, knowing that vest or not it could have been worse. She is reclaiming her wife from the fears haunting her.

And Emily lets her. Riding the crest up into a second orgasm.

JJ's arm finally stills. She waits until Emily gives a slight nod before pulling out, which sends her wife over once more. JJ climbs up onto the bed.

"Mine," she states again, kissing Emily deeply.

Emily just moans her agreement. But JJ needs more than that. She scoots up farther, settling her throbbing, wet center over her wife's mouth. Emily accepts the invitation greedily. She licks and sucks JJ until the blonde collapses down on the bed after an intense orgasm.

For several minutes the only sounds in the rooms are the happy, breathless gasps. Emily finally rolls over and climbs farther up the bed. She strokes a hand down JJ's cheek.

"I'm okay, Jennifer," she whispers.

JJ, tears in her eyes, nods. "I know. But damn, Em."

Emily manages a smile. "Yeah, I know."

She gives her a gentle kiss, pulling her close as JJ finally lets tears of stress and fear roll down her cheeks.


	16. Chapter 16

"Spence, stop arguing. You'll stay with us the next few days. The doctor said you could need help. Morgan can go get you some clothes," JJ tells her friend.

Reid is stretched out on the couch of the jet. It was Monday morning and the team was finally getting to fly home. Reid had been released but the doctor had recommended he stay with friends for at least a week in case any problems developed or if he needed help with anything. He starts to say something more but Emily pats his leg.

"Reid, do you _really_ think you'll win this fight?"

Reid just grins. "No, I guess not."

"See, he _is_ a genius," JJ points out with a grin.

The rest of the team chuckles. Hotch hangs up his phone and walks over to them.

"Boise police have positively identified the two women taken as control subjects for the so-called study. From everything we found it seems his mental break came after his brother died. Thankfully these are his only victims."

"How is Betsy Dinardo?" Morgan asks.

"Doing fine. No adverse affects from the drugs just an intense fear of being alone." He smiles. "Luckily she has a devoted boyfriend willing to stay by her side through everything."

Rossi smiles and nods. "Good. I spoke with him briefly yesterday. He's young but seems to be a stand-up kind of guy. They'll be fine."

"I'm sure they will be," Hotch agrees. "When we get in, get your reports filed and go home. Prentiss, make an appointment with the shrinks for tomorrow."

She nods. "Will do."

"Straus says we're off rotation until Emily is cleared so we should be in the area until at least Wednesday. Whatever is on your desks or in your briefcases will be there tomorrow. Forget about them tonight."

Morgan salutes. "Aye, aye, Captain."

Everyone chuckles. Hotch raises an eyebrow. "You can tell Prentiss is back. She's a bad influence on you, Morgan."

Everyone laughs again…well, everyone but Emily."

* * *

That afternoon Francesca meets them in the foyer with Rocky and Henry.

"MAMA!" Henry yells and runs to Emily. She kneels down and scoops him into her arms.

JJ walks over to Francesca and holds out her hands. "Where's my girl?" Rocky giggles and throws herself at her Mommy.

Emily stands, Henry in her arms as he regales her with all she had missed the last few days. She looks over and sees Rocky patting her Mommy's face, babbling. Tears spring into her eyes.

Yes, it will always be hard to leave them but these two little kids know their mothers love them wholly and unconditionally. She kisses Henry once more.

"I love you, Henry."

"Love Mama!"

"Come on, help me get Uncle Spencer to the living room to rest, okay? He's got a boo-boo."

Henry looks at Spence who is walking gingerly in the door. "Boo?" Henry asks.

Reid smiles and nods. "Yes, Henry, I have a boo-boo."

Henry leans towards him. Emily steps close so Henry can give Reid a kiss on the cheek and pat his shoulder.

"Boo, 'Pence, boo."

Reid smiles and kisses Henry's cheek. "Perfect, Henry. Almost all better now."

Henry just smiles proudly as Emily and JJ swap kids. Emily stares into happy clear blue eyes.

"I love you, too, Rocky." She kisses her head. "And I now know I can leave you and you will still be here and okay. That means the world to me." She looks at Francesca. "Thank you for giving me that peace of mind, Francesca."

Francesca smiles and pats Emily's arm. "My pleasure, cara. Truly my pleasure."

Emily looks over JJ, who is chatting with Henry. Life was looking pretty good this evening at Chateau Prentiss.


End file.
